Cabaret of The King
by mariadesley
Summary: King's Cabaret is one of the most exclusive places in London in the 1930s. People come to hear the angelic voice Gwen and see the dancing abilities of the woman they call Druid. One day Arthur walks in on Gwen and her childhood friend Merlin Emrys singing and he hires the raven haired boy with a magical voice immediately. Arthur is interested in the boy, perhaps more than he should
1. Prologue Chapter 1

Our story took place in the beginning of the 1930's, in London, where one of the most exclusive cabarets in England could be found. The place itself wouldn't have been that successful if it wasn't for its owner – Arthur Pendragon, or as he was known to most people – _The King_.

Arthur was known to be arrogant and pretentious and somewhat intimidating, but that didn't stop him from getting all the attention from the women. With blond hair and mesmerizing blue eyes, Arthur could easily have any woman he laid his eyes on, except one. Guinevere, or Gwen as her friends called her, was the angelic voice of the cabaret. She was one of the reasons people from all around the country visited the cabaret. With olive skin and dark eyes anyone could get lost into, Arthur was one of the many that couldn't resist Guinevere's charm.

Although Arthur was very young when he opened the cabaret, and his father was against it (he thought it was a foolish decision, that he should invest all that money in something more _worthy_), Arthur always knew he was going to succeed. It was in his blood to be well known and successful and he knew it. The Pendragons had always been very influential in the upper class of the London society, and that gave Arthur all the confidence he needed in his life. But even with such confidence and a powerful last name, Arthur would be nowhere if it wasn't for the people around him, the ones who continuously supported him, through his ups and downs, and made sure he knew he was never alone. Not all had been so loyal to the King, though. Throughout the three years since the King's Cabaret had officially opened its doors to London, many wanted him gone.

**CHAPTER 1**: _The Cabaret and the King_

Arthur opened his eyes and found himself face to face with a woman he did not recognize. It took him several minutes to finally remember that her name was Jessica (or Julia?), the blonde lady from table 14 he had met last night at the cabaret. It was nothing

new for Arthur, to have a one night stand with a woman he had just met, as a matter of fact, it was starting to bore him. The whole thing was more like a daily routine, something he did just because he was used to it. He pushed the covers away and pulled on the trousers he found near his bed, he didn't care about showing up at the cabaret in the same clothes he had last night, no one was going to be there on a Saturday morning anyway. Only on rare occasions Arthur had to be at the cabaret on Saturdays, but lately he had a lot of paperwork to go through since the cabaret was attracting a bigger crowd more and more everyday.

When Arthur arrived at the cabaret, he didn't expect to find anyone there, which was why he had a surprised look on his face when he saw Guinevere accompanied by a young man– in his early twenties, Arthur assumed. Guinevere was singing a melody, one Arthur had heard already, the one she sang for the first time and left Arthur speechless. He hired her immediately, his instincts told him that she was going to make the cabaret even more visited; her voice and her looks were enough to draw anyone's attention.

When Guinevere arrived to the chorus of the song, the young man– who was playing on the piano– joined her and their voices collided into a beautiful, almost enchanting cadence. Arthur was once again left speechless, this time not because of Guinevere, but because of the mysterious man. His voice was just as good as Guinevere's, maybe even better. The man was dressed very simple, he was obviously not from London's upper class society. Arthur was still standing at the entrance of the cabaret after Guinevere and the mysterious man had stopped singing.

"Mr. Pendragon, my friend was just helping me rehearse for tonight's performance." Guinevere started apologizing when she noticed Arthur standing at the door. "We could leave if you'd like."

"That is alright, Guinevere." He replied once he had approached them. "I have work to do at the office, pretend I'm not here."

"This is my friend, Merlin Emrys." Guinevere spoke up when she realized Arthur had no intention of asking about the man standing next to her, who happened to be her childhood friend. "He's a singer as well." She added.

"I noticed." Arthur replied shortly before shaking the man's hand. "What brings you here Mr. Emrys?"

"I've been looking for a job for quite some time, sir." Merlin started. "Gwen told me you were looking for another singer, so I thought I would try my luck."

Arthur furrowed his eyebrows slightly, and analyzed him carefully. He was thin and bony; Arthur probably wouldn't even notice him in a room full of people. His raven hair was in complete contrast with his bright, blue eyes that were the only thing that drew Arthur's attention to him. With a new haircut and the smallest tuxedo size, the boy could look decent on stage next to Guinevere.

"We are looking for new singers indeed, _female_ ones." Arthur pointed out.

"Mr. Pendragon, I have known Merlin my whole life, he is very good. He is honest and loyal, he won't disappoint you, I give you my word." Guinevere stated. "At least give him a chance to audition."

"He already did, just five minutes ago." Arthur replied before he turned around and headed to his office upstairs. "You will perform tonight with Guinevere, Mr. Emrys. Try not to disappoint her. She gave me her word, after all." He added before he disappeared into his office.

There were always a lot of people at the cabaret on a Saturday evening, but Merlin had never performed in front of so many people and his nerves were getting the best of him.  
"Are you nervous?" He heard Gwen's voice behind him.

"Little bit, I suppose." Merlin muttered.

"Oh don't worry, I remember when I performed here for the first time three years ago…I was so nervous, my hands were shaking." She replied while doing the final touches of her make-up. "Even tonight, after all this time, I get nervous. But when I step on that stage, all of that goes away, you don't think about anything else but the emotions that the song gives you."

"Will Arthur be watching us perform?" Merlin asked.

"Probably. He spends every night at the cabaret, especially when there are performances." She replied.

"He doesn't like me very much, does he?"

"Arthur doesn't like anyone, you shouldn't take it personally." Guinevere replied quickly.

"Well, he seems to like you." Merlin turned around to face Gwen's reflection on the mirror. She quickly glanced at Merlin who was smirking slightly.

"That's nonsense, what would give you that impression?" She said, hoping Merlin didn't notice her flushed cheeks.

"Well, he did trust your words about me, it seemed like he values your opinion a lot. It's why he hired me." Merlin explained.

"Arthur hired you because he heard you sing, and he liked what he heard, remember that. If that wasn't the case, you wouldn't be in the backstage of the most exclusive cabaret in London, waiting to perform." Guinevere said, giving him a reassuring smile. "Speaking of which, we need to go on stage now." She managed to change the subject before Merlin had a chance to continue. "Are you ready to face London's upper class society?"

"Not at all, but let's go." Merlin replied.

When Guinevere and Merlin Emrys were introduced, both of them appeared on the stage only moments later. Guinevere looked stunningly, dressed in a gold, sparkly dress that caught the light and it looked like she was glowing. The mysterious young man next to her whose name no one knew, was dressed in a black tuxedo, his dark hair elegantly pushed away from his face which made him look mature and sophisticated. Arthur almost hadn't recognized him, he looked like one of them, a member of the upper class society.

Just as they had been rehearsing earlier that day, Merlin joined Guinevere at the chorus and left everyone at awe. Even the minor chatter that had filled the cabaret was now gone, it was like everyone were hypnotized by the angelic voice of the mysterious boy standing on the stage. Even Arthur, who had heard the boy sing earlier that day, was left with no words, and it was a very rare occasion for Arthur Pendragon to be left speechless. He always had something to say, he loved to criticize people, the only time he had a similar reaction before was when he heard Guinevere sing for the first time, but this—this was a completely new experience for him. While Arthur was completely enchanted by the boy, Merlin managed to shut off the entire crowd, it was like he was in his own little sphere, just like Gwen had told him.

"This boy, who is he?" Lancelot, an old friend of Arthur, asked.

"Merlin Emrys." Arthur replied, his eyes fixed on the stage. "a friend of Guinevere's"  
"He is absolutely marvelous." Lancelot said, completely amazed by the boy. Lancelot visited the King's Cabaret very often, mainly because he knew he could always find Arthur there, but also because of Guinevere. Lancelot was just another man who couldn't resist the singer's charm.

"I've heard better." Arthur lied before he took a sip of the glass of whiskey sitting on the table in front of him. "Guinevere insisted that I should hire him, so I decided to give the boy a chance." He added. But even if it wasn't for Guinevere's instance, Arthur admitted to himself, he would've hired Merlin Emrys anyway. There was something about the boy, something he couldn't put his finger on, but Arthur was very interested in the boy—more than he would ever admit.


	2. The King's subjects

**CHAPTER 2:** _The King's subjects_

It had been a week since Merlin Emrys was hired as one of the singers at the cabaret, and in just one week, his lifestyle had changed completely. All his old clothes were thrown away, and replaced with new ones; this was Arthur's request because he said he didn't want anyone to enter his cabaret dressed like _that_. Merlin no longer slept until late, everyday he had to be at the cabaret at 9 in the morning for rehearsals.

Usually, Arthur didn't arrive at the cabaret until late in the afternoon; therefore Merlin was glad he didn't have to encounter him every morning. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate that Arthur Pendragon hired him at his cabaret − although he still thought that had to do with Gwen insisting on it, rather than the reason being solely his talent. It was just that he felt that Arthur didn't like him. At all.

The rest of the employees at the cabaret welcomed him quite warmly, though. All of them were very nice people, amazing artists. There was one person in particular whom Merlin was really impressed with. One of the dancers, a woman everyone knew as Druid. With long, dark hair and light green eyes that took anyone's breath away, Druid was one of the main attractions at the cabaret. She was part of the cabaret from the very beginning; she had grown up with Arthur. Her father and Arthur's father, Uther, were great friends and Druid was like Arthur's sister. She supported him through the years and helped in any way she could. She was a great dancer; her moves were sexy and seductive but also feminine and innocent. Druid was an ambitious girl, with many dreams and goals she wanted to fulfill. She was more than happy to perform at the cabaret, but her dreams were much bigger than that. Druid was the kind of woman who wouldn't stop until she had the world at her feet.

Merlin heard many things about Druid from Gwen, but he never had the chance to meet her. Until one morning when Merlin arrived at the cabaret to rehearse, and as he passed by the girl's dressing room, her door was open. Merlin could hear quiet sobs coming from her room, and he decided to find out the source, although the door was open already. Druid immediately turned around, wiping her tears away fast.

"I apologize if I am disturbing you, miss." Merlin said as soon as Druid acknowledged his presence. "I heard how upset you were, so I wanted to check and see if you needed anything." His voice was soft and tender. Whatever she was crying about, Merlin wished she would stop. They hadn't officially met, but Merlin felt like they had known each other for ages, like they were very similar. But of course it was all in Merlin's head, they had nothing in common. She was an attractive woman from the upper class society, she cam from a very influential family just like Arthur.

Druid didn't answer Merlin immediately and he realized it was probably none of his business. He turned around to leave but then Druid finally spoke.

"It's my father." She said quietly. Merlin turned back around to face her but he still didn't dare to come inside her dressing room. "He has cancer, he is dying." Her voice cracked and she started to cry again.

"I…I don't know what I am going to do if I lose my father, he is the only thing I have."

Merlin didn't know how to reply to that, even though he was very familiar with the feeling. He had never met his father, and his mother was back at his home town. He had no one at London except for Gwen.

"I am sorry to hear that, miss." Merlin muttered, leaning his body on the door frame. He wished he could say something else to comfort her, but no words came out.

"You don't have to call me by title, Merlin. Call me Druid, everyone does." She gave him a small smile.

"You know my name?"

"Of course, Gwen has told me so much about you; it feels like I know you myself." Druid replied. "And don't just stand there, you can come in."

Merlin was slightly taken aback by how polite and sincere she was towards him.  
He took a few steps forward and sat on one of the chairs opposite Druid. Merlin thought she looked more beautiful from up close, even with all her make up ruined from the tears.

"I don't even want to think about what would happen if I lose my father, Merlin. And I can't help him, there is no cure because the cancer has spread too much already, and I don't know what to do." Druid continued about her father.

"If there is nothing you can do, then all there is left is to spend as much time as you can with him, make sure he knows you are there for him." Merlin said, but he doubted anything he said would help at all. "I never even met my father. Sometimes I wonder what he was like, what he did− _is_ doing."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Druid managed to mutter in between sobs. "And I'm sorry that I'm such a mess, usually I'm more put together." She smiled a little bit and reached for the tissue box.

"I should start getting ready for the rehearsal." Druid said once she managed to gather herself together.

Merlin got the hint that he should leave her alone and headed for the door.

"Merlin, thank you. For listening." Druid said.

Merlin didn't say anything, he just gave her a small smile that was worth more than a hundred words.

That Thursday night Merlin wasn't performing, that day was reserved for Druid and the rest of the dancers. Every Thursday night, everyone that visited the cabaret were there for one thing only – the dancing sensation of the cabaret – Druid.

Merlin decided to take a seat at one of the empty bar stools, no one wanted to sit on those while Druid was performing because it didn't offer a very good view of the stage, but he didn't mind.

Minutes later the lights were dimmed and ten dancers appeared on the stage. Five on the left side and the other five were on the right. All of them were wearing identical gold sparkly leotards and stilettos. Once the music started, a spotlight focused on Druid, who was standing in the middle of the stage, she was wearing a gold leotard as well, but hers was much more alluring. Druid herself looked so dazzling and radiated confidence, Merlin found it fascinating how she could transform from the young girl earlier to this stunning woman. There was no sign she had been crying just a few hours ago, or of the sadness she carried in her heart because of her father.

Merlin couldn't take his eyes off of the stage (or Druid, to be more precise), therefore he didn't notice when someone occupied the stool next to him.

"Close your mouth Mr. Emrys, you're drooling."

Merlin turned on his left to meet Arthur's blue eyes. He couldn't tell if Arthur was being serious or not, but he managed to chuckle slightly.

"She's amazing." Merlin said his eyes once again on Druid.

"Of course she is, otherwise she wouldn't be here." Arthur replied and took a sip of his drink. Merlin had learned by now that although Arthur wasn't a big drinker, he enjoyed a glass of whiskey (or two) every single night he was at the cabaret.

"You can call me Merlin, by the way." Merlin glanced at Arthur for a second.

"No one's ever called me Mr. Emrys, it doesn't suit me."

"Alright then, _Merlin_." Arthur replied, accentuating his name. "I believe in equality here in the cabaret, therefore, you can address me by my first name as well." He said. "But that does not mean there is some sort of friendship forming here." Arthur motioned between the two of them."

"I am the King and you are the−"

"Servant?" Merlin laughed, his eyebrows raised.  
"I was going to say Guinevere's very _easily_ replaceable friend, but that works much better." Arthur replied and ordered another drink simply by sliding his glass towards the bartender.

"Got it." Merlin nodded.

Druid had already finished her performance −him being distracted by the company and all− and the lights were no longer dimmed. Arthur got up from his stool immediately and gave Merlin a subtle nod. He headed to table 10 and started a conversation with a woman that seemed very familiar to Merlin. Then he realized he had seen her at the cabaret before, it looked like she was a constant visitor but Merlin doubted she was there to see Druid perform. She was a very attractive woman with dark brown hair and blue eyes. Her face features were symmetrical and her whole physique was very charming. She was one of those women that simply stood out in a room full of people.

"Her name is Marianne." Merlin heard Guinevere's voice behind him. "She comes here every Thursday night because she's very good friends with Druid."

"Is she?" Merlin said skeptically.

"Who knows, soon she might become Mrs. Pendragon." Guinevere said, and although she tried to cover her jealousy, her voice betrayed her.

"Am I sensing some jealousy, Gwen?" Merlin asked, smirking.

"Of course not, Merlin. Don't be silly." She defended herself. "Marianne is a very lovely woman, as you can see yourself. Her and Arthur would be perfect together." Gwen said, failing at the attempt not to look at Arthur and his flirtatious smirk as he talked with the woman. "After all, it's none of our business, so try not to cross any lines." She rebuked him gently."Don't let your curiosity get the best of you."

"I would never let that happen." Merlin replied and Guinevere rolled her eyes at him. "I'm serious, Merlin. I know what you're trying to pull off."

"And what is that?"

"I do not have feelings for Arthur, nor does he for me. And even if I did, it wouldn't matter because in case you do not remember, he is from a completely different world from us." Guinevere said, and crossed her arms like she always did when she got mad, or when someone was making her uncomfortable. By crossing her arms she tried to block away the "attack". It was a defense mechanism she was familiar with.

"I just think that if two people care about each other, they should be together, no matter if they come from _different worlds_." Merlin answered. It was one of the things he believed in most, that love should know no boundaries.

"Some things just can't be, Merlin." Guinevere said. "No matter how right they may seem, the decisions we make come with consequences, consequences that affect everyone around us. You can't let yourself be selfish."

With that, Guinevere turned on her heels and headed back to the dressing room − where she wouldn't have to witness Arthur and Marianne's chemistry, which was undeniable.

Merlin stayed for a little while, and he met Arthur's eyes only for a split second.

The decisions we make may come with consequences, Merlin thought, but some of those decisions are worth sacrificing everything around you.


	3. The King's Birthday: Part One

**CHAPTER 3**: _The King's birthday: part one_

October 11th was one of the most important dates for the King's Cabaret. It was the date of Arthur Pendragon's birthday, and that year, he was turning twenty-seven.  
King's Cabaret always threw a "surprise" party for their King, inviting every important person of London's upper class society. Guinevere and Druid were both arranged to perform for that special night, and this year Merlin was added to the list as well. Unlike for the past few weeks, that night he had his first solo performance. Guinevere "suggested" a song she knew was one of Arthur's favorites; she thought it was a good idea if Merlin performed it since she had the honor to do it for the past three years so it would be a nice change.

Guinevere and Merlin were finishing their rehearsal that Thursday night, it was some time after midnight and both of them were looking forward to going back home after the quite exhausting day they had preparing for tomorrow – Arthur's birthday. Thursday was the most suitable day to use for rehearsing since the Cabaret was never too crowded on this day, and everyone left the place even before eleven, unlike other times when the Cabaret was open until the early hours of the morning.

Considering Merlin had no place of his own in London, Guinevere offered he stay at her house, which as the years went by had several reconstructions done to it and was finally starting to look like a nice place to live in. Merlin had no choice but to accept the offer to live with his childhood friend, there had never been anything romantic between them, not even a _slight_ possibility of something like that, therefore there wasn't anything that would make the situation uncomfortable. Guinevere was Merlin's only friend since he had always been a bit of an outsider. The boy had a very nice personality, his heart was pure and he always had the best intentions, always wanted to help everyone in any way he could. But on the other hand, Merlin was a boy that always seemed to get into trouble, most of the time for things he didn't even do. His sense of humor was dark at times, and although he wasn't very physically strong, he had the ability to fight people with words very easily, especially with his sarcastic replies and strong personality (which irritated people very easily, including Gwen sometimes),

As Guinevere and Merlin collected their things so they could head back home, someone knocked on the main door softly and opened it without waiting for an answer. It was one of Arthur's old (and most loyal) friends, Lancelot. Just like Arthur, his family used to be one of the most prestigious in London but the Du Lac family bankrupted several years ago and lost all its power, of course. Financial stability was crucial to survive in the upper class society of London, any society, actually. Lancelot's father used to be one of Uther Pendragon's biggest rivals, but that didn't stop Lancelot and Arthur of becoming very good friends. They weren't too similar, Lancelot preferred the quiet life, but he was just as ambitious and passionate about things he loved to do, and that's what got him through the hard times. He fought for what he wanted, and his whole life he had wanted to become a lawyer, and with a lot of hard work he succeeded. Only two years ago, he became Arthur's personal lawyer and that's how their friendship started. Lancelot was one of the very few people to have Arthur Pendragon's complete trust, and so far he had never betrayed him.

"Lancelot, if you are looking for Arthur he's not here." Guinevere said, instantly regretting she let 'Arthur' slip her lips instead of 'Mr. Pendragon'.

"I was actually looking for you, Gwen." Lancelot replied. He shook hands with Merlin and gave him a small smile.

"Me? What do you need me for?" Guinevere asked with a tone of surprise.

Lancelot opened his mouth to speak but he felt Merlin's eyes on him and suddenly felt uncomfortable. He liked the boy although he didn't know him very well, but he believed he was nice and sincere, just like Guinevere, he still felt it would be more appropriate if he and Guinevere were alone instead.

Guinevere guessed at his trail of thought since she got to know Lancelot quite well during the past couple of years, and glanced at Merlin only for a second, enough so he would realize that they needed to be alone.

"I…have to visit the restroom." Merlin announced fast, not being able to think of any other excuse to leave the two alone.

His footsteps echoed around the cabaret and once he disappeared into the bathroom.

"Well, what is it that you needed me for?" Guinevere asked him again.

"It's, uh, it's Arthur's birthday tomorrow, and I assume you are throwing him a party, just like every year?" Lancelot finally spoke.  
"Yes, indeed."

"Well, I was just wondering if you would like to do me the honor and be my date for that evening." He continued. There was something about his voice that made people wish to listen to him speak for hours and hours.

Guinevere's eyes widened slightly, she thought her ears were betraying her. She had always fancied Lancelot, ever since the first moment she saw the tall, dark haired man with chocolate brown eyes that seemed so innocent and trusting.

Lancelot shared the exact same feelings for her as well, except maybe he was even in love with her. He knew it was foolish and he was aware that Guinevere might not even feel the same way about him, but during the past two years, Lancelot couldn't help but slowly fall for the singer.

"I would love to." Guinevere nodded and smiled at the man in front of her. He wasn't Arthur, she thought, but that was exactly why she couldn't miss the opportunity to forget about the man she could never be with.

Just as every year, Arthur was aware that the cabaret was preparing a party in his honor; therefore, he decided to take his time and make sure he looked his best. Many important people were going to attend his party, and Arthur wanted to present himself and the cabaret at their possible best. Almost always, Arthur made the most influential deals and contracts during his birthday parties− maybe because they all got drunk very quickly. Arthur wasn't the one to get drunk all the time, but during his birthdays he always liked to indulge a bit more than usual of his favorite whiskey. But he was the type of drunk that became much more affectionate when drunk and he liked to talk a lot.

Arthur arrived half an hour later at the cabaret than he usually would have, and the place was already crowded. There was music playing in the background and right above the stage there was a large, red poster that read: _"Long Live The King"._  
Once people acknowledged Arthur's arrival they shook his hand, others gave him a greeting nod and a smile, just like every year on his birthday, it was all the same.  
Arthur spotted his father talking with a few people and approached them. Once he greeted everyone, Arthur followed his father to the bar and both of them ordered their usual – whiskey. "To many more successful years to come." Uther Pendragon lifted his glass and smiled at his son. Arthur and his father were very alike, physically and personality wise, although everyone who knew the Pendragons for a long time said that Arthur was almost identical to his mother, Irene. His mother died when she was giving birth to him, and Arthur blamed himself for it, it was a huge burden he carried in his heart.

"Thank you, father." Arthur raised his glass of whiskey just like his father did and took a sip of the strong drink.

"Tell me, does my son have a significant other that, for some reason, I'm unaware of?" Uther started the marriage topic, just like Arthur predicted.

"No, father, there is not."

"Arthur, you are twenty-seven, time goes by very quickly. It is time for you to finally settle down." Uther continued, his voice was always low and smooth, but also very firm.

Arthur sighed and took another, longer sip of his drink. It was always the same question, and Arthur had no answer for it. He did his job perfectly, he was the owner of London's most visited cabaret but his private life was anything but perfect. Arthur had always had a hard time expressing his own feelings and thoughts, it was impossible for him to connect with anyone on an emotional level, in a romantic way.

"Father, we've had this conversation, several times already." Arthur finally spoke, trying not to sound too irritated. "You always taught me it was more important to build a career first."

"Yes, indeed. And look around you, Arthur, look at what you own, you have already built that career."

"There is still so much to work on, I barely have time for myself." Arthur replied. "And I thought you hated this cabaret." He added, with slight bitterness in his voice. He never had the complete support of his father, not truly.

"Yes, at the beginning." Uther agreed. "But everytime I come here I see how far you've come and I'm proud of you, Arthur. I would be even more proud to see you marry someone who's right for you."

"One day, father." Arthur shortly said and finished his drink. He felt like he needed another one and waved at the bartender.  
The lights got dimmed, only the stage was under big lights.

Druid appeared on the stage in a sparkly red leotard. Her lips were painted red as well, and her long, black hair was in soft curls. The rest of the dancers joined her shortly on the stage as well, and they started their number dedicated to the King. Arthur was thankful for the perfect timing so he wouldn't have to continue the conversation with his father. He decided to try and enjoy his birthday as much as he could and focused on Druid in attempt to try to forget about his father and his constant pressure to marry someone who is '_right for him'_, whatever that meant.

The dance performance was over after five minutes, and Arthur knew that it was Guinevere next to perform, so he decided to go upstairs into the dressing room and see her before she went on stage. He hadn't talked to her properly in the last couple of days, and he couldn't spot her around the cabaret that night.

After he stopped several times to shake hands with a few people who approached him, Arthur finally made his way upstairs to the dressing rooms.  
He was lifting his hand to knock on the door, when he heard voices coming from inside. In matter of seconds, Arthur recognized the male voice; it was Lancelot's.

He knew it was inappropriate to spy on their conversation, but he couldn't help himself. Arthur couldn't exactly figure out the topic of the conversation, he only picked up bits and pieces but he was already annoyed by the fact that his best friend was in Guinevere's dressing room.

He decided to knock after all, and his hand met the wooden door.  
There was a short silence before Guinevere's voice gave an approval for him to enter inside. Arthur opened the door and walked in, he immediately spotted the flowers that sat on Guinevere's make-up table. Lancelot greeted him and wished him a happy birthday, while Guinevere simply smiled at him.

"I just, wanted to wish you good luck for tonight's performance..." Arthur trailed off; his mind was desperate to know what Lancelot was doing in Guinevere's room.

"I was just doing the same, so I will leave you two alone." Lancelot replied fast and headed to the door.

"Everyone has been very kind to me today, when it is _your_ birthday!" Guinevere tried to lighten up the atmosphere slightly. "I even got flowers, I'm getting spoiled!" She smiled.

"Well, I _am_ sorry for not bringing you any flowers myself." Arthur said once Lancelot left the room. "I just, um, I was looking for you so I could thank you for organizing an amazing party once again."

"You know it is always my pleasure." Guinevere replied, blushing slightly. She felt extremely uncomfortable that he walked in on her and Lancelot, they were only talking, but what he didn't know was that they had arrived together at the party, they were on a date and Guinevere convinced herself that Lancelot was going to help her forget about the feelings she had for Arthur.

"I will let you prepare for your performance now." Arthur spoke after a small silence, there was a big dose of awkwardness that floated in the air, and Arthur wanted to get out of the room as soon as possible.

"Thank you." Guinevere said. "Have a nice night." She added and smiled at him once again.

Arthur nodded and left Guinevere's room before another uncomfortable silence could appear.

He had never experienced such a feeling before, but Arthur was jealous. He tried to come up with a million of theories that _maybe his friend was really just visiting Guinevere to wish her luck_, or that _maybe the two were "plotting" some last minute surprises_ for his birthday, but Arthur was anything but stupid or naïve. He could feel it in the air when he walked in that something was going on between his best friend and the woman that had captivated his heart without him being aware of it. In that same moment he realized it, really. He was in love with Guinevere.


	4. The King's Birthday: Part Two

**CHAPTER 4**: _The King's Birthday: Part Two_

Arthur didn't know how, or when his feelings for Guinevere had grown so much, but the thought of her and Lancelot made him jealous to the point where he thought he was being plain ridiculous. He had never been in love before, simply because he always put walls up around his heart and didn't let anyone too close, so he couldn't be certain that he really was _in love_. Maybe the possibility of his best friend and the woman he had always fancied being together made him jealous just because he couldn't stand seeing other people get what he had his eyes on in the first place.

Arthur was in desperate need of another glass of whiskey, so he headed over back to the bar. He guessed Guinevere was about to perform, just like she did every year, she always sang the same song which was Arthur's favorite, but suddenly he found himself hating it. Taking one long sip of the whiskey, Arthur turned his back towards the stage when the lights were dimmed once again and decided he would just wait until the performance was over. The familiar melody started playing, and Arthur expected to hear Guinevere's voice any moment, but instead, a male's voice echoed around the cabaret. Arthur turned around to face the stage again, and saw Merlin standing in the spotlight. He kept his eyes closed as he sang the lyrics; his voice was at first soft but then started to grow towards the chorus.

It was safe to say Arthur was completely taken by surprise, he didn't expect for Merlin to come out on that stage and sing that same song which Guinevere did and took his breath away every single time she'd sang it. For some reason he couldn't explain, Arthur couldn't take his eyes off the stage. He had heard that exact song so many times, yet it felt like he was listening to it for the first time, it sounded different when the young boy performed it. Before Arthur could finish his glass of whiskey, he was pulled off the stool by Marianne.

"I was looking for you, let's dance." She smiled widely at him and took him by the hand.  
Arthur absent-mindedly followed the brunette and started to slow dance with her. Marianne rambled on about something but all Arthur could hear was Merlin's angelic voice.

Merlin, on the other hand, was so nervous about performing, he couldn't help but regret his decision at agreeing to perform Arthur Pendragon's favorite song. _He probably hated it_, Merlin thought to himself as he finished the song. Everyone applauded loudly, _they_ obviously enjoyed the performance, but Merlin couldn't spot Arthur anywhere. Knowing him, he might have just left.

Once Arthur managed to excuse himself and get away from Marianne, he started to climb the stairs that led to the dressing room with a slight struggle; all the whiskey was starting to make his head a bit fuzzy and his movements were clumsier than usual. Once he climbed up, Arthur headed to Merlin's dressing room and entered inside without knocking. He found Merlin sitting on the couch that used to be at Arthur's office. The bowtie on Merlin's neck was loosened up, and he no longer wore the tuxedo on top. His brows rose up slightly when he saw Arthur, his guess that the man had hated the performance all but confirmed.

Arthur opened his mouth to speak, but then realized he didn't know what he wanted to say, he didn't even know why he was in Merlin's dressing room.  
"Before you say anything, you should know that Gwen asked me to do it." Merlin defended himself quickly before Arthur even said anything. "She thought it would be a good idea if I performed the song instead of her, and I agreed simply because I thought it would be a nice surprise but it obviously wasn't and—"

"Merlin, _shut up_." Arthur cut him off curtly. "That's not why I'm here."

"Oh…" Merlin trailed off. "What are you here for, then?"

"You said it was Guinevere's idea that you perform tonight instead of her, did she tell you why?" Arthur asked him.

"You just said that was not why you came here fo—"

"I asked you a question, Merlin. I expect an answer, not a lecture." Arthur cut him off again, which seemed to be some sort of habit of his, Merlin had noticed.

"As I said, she thought it would be a nice surprise." Merlin replied.

"Oh yes, it was a _lovely_ surprise." Arthur responded sarcastically. Of course she told Merlin to perform instead of her, Arthur thought, how else would she dare to look him in the eyes again after he saw her and Lancelot together.

"I—I just did what I was told." Merlin spoke quietly once he realized Arthur was serious. He could see a certain amount of anger in Arthur, or maybe it was just because he was drunk, Merlin noticed, it was like he had doused himself with a cologne that smelled like whiskey.

"Guinevere is not your boss, _I am_. Next time, please spare me the surprises." Arthur replied, trying not to scream at the boy. He was aware he didn't mean anything by performing that song, but he had to let it out on someone, so he used the opportunity. Arthur hoped Merlin would say something back, so he could yell some more, but instead, the boy kept quiet and just looked at Arthur with innocent blue eyes.

Silence replaced Arthur's strong voice that was so similar to his father's, and although the alcohol made the inside of his head blurry and there was so much more he wanted to say (or rather yell), Arthur turned around and left Merlin's dressing room.

When Arthur came downstairs at the cabaret, he immediately spotted Guinevere and Lancelot dancing. But he also saw something else; happiness in Guinevere's eyes, something he hadn't seen ever since her father passed away. He stood there for a few moments, watched them dance and suddenly, the jealousy he felt earlier was replaced with some sort of sadness. He had never admitted it to anyone, not even himself, but Arthur always thought he would one day settle down with Guinevere. She was warm and sincere, she had a big heart, she was kind and most of all, understanding. It was everything Arthur had hoped to find in the person he would spend the rest of his life with, but she slipped right through his fingers because he never, not once in the past three years was brave enough to show his feelings towards her.

Someone approached him from behind and closed Arthur's eyes with their hands. He started laughing immediately because he would recognize that smell of lavender anywhere. "Morgana." He managed to say in between laughs. "Or should I say _Druid_?" Arthur added once he was facing her.

"Whatever you prefer, my King." She replied with a smile. She was no longer wearing the leotard costume, instead, she wore a beautiful red dress that Arthur got her for her twenty-first birthday. "Tell me, who are you searching for with those seductive blue eyes tonight, Arthur? Were you looking for me, maybe?"

"Oh you wish, Morgana, you wish." He rolled his eyes at her. "No one in particular." He added, trying to sound as uninterested as possible.

"Oh you're such a terrible liar when you're drunk." She remarked, trying to spot anyone she could connect Arthur with, possibly Marianne. Only a couple of seconds later she noticed Guinevere and Lancelot. She turned around to face Arthur and gave him a sympathetic look, something she shouldn't have done because she very well knew he hated people feeling sorry for him. She was aware of how Arthur felt about Guinevere, and she knew that she felt the same way about him, but it was admitting those feelings that was the hardest thing for both of them, especially because of Arthur's father who would never approve of such thing.

"Morgana—don't." Arthur glanced at her quickly and shook his head.

"I didn't say anything."

"Your eyes did. I just yelled at Merlin earlier, I don't want to have to yell at you too."

"Yelled at Merlin?" Morgana raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"Well, I do not recall approving that he could perform that song." Arthur replied and Morgana snorted loudly.

"Arthur, you've always been a little slow but you _do_ understand that this is your _birthday party,_ where people are supposed to _surprise you_?" She looked at him pointedly. "Nothing you see was planned or approved by you, Arthur. It was all me, Gwen, Lancelot and Merlin."

"I know I shouldn't have, but it did make me feel better." Arthur didn't know what else to say other than try and lighten up the atmosphere by joking (although it wasn't really a joke), he knew Morgana was right and he was wrong. He had no right to yell at Merlin for something that wasn't his fault in the first place.

"If I were in your place, I would apologize." Morgana said and Arthur sent her a look as if to say _'you are not being serious'_.

"Oh right, I forgot 'sorry' isn't in Arthur Pendragon's vocabulary." Morgana replied mockingly.

"The King doesn't have to apologize to anyone, Morgana." Arthur responded with the same tone.

"True, but Arthur does." Morgana said shortly and turned to leave. "But please, sober up before you go to his room." She added.

It was some time after midnight when all the guests finally started to leave. By the time the cabaret was empty Arthur managed to sober up a bit and this time he climbed the stairs with no problem. He had thought a lot about what Morgana had told him, and realized that once again, she was right. He wasn't the type of man who liked to apologize often, especially not to people he didn't know for very long, and he had known Merlin for a couple of weeks only− and during that period of time they had barely had any conversations other than the usual talk that involved the cabaret and the performances.

But there he was, in front of Merlin's door, hours later after he had yelled at him for no reason. He figured it was the right thing to do, to apologize since any tension that would be caused between the two of them would only badly influence the cabaret's working atmosphere. After standing at his door for a couple of moments− in an attempt to gather his thoughts and run through what he was going to say to him− Arthur knocked on Merlin's door.

There was no immediate response and Arthur thought that maybe Merlin had left early and he was relieved instantly, but just as he was about to turn around and leave, he saw Merlin climb up the stairs.

"Arthur?" Merlin furrowed his brows, he didn't expect for him to still be here, he thought he was long gone with Marianne.

"Uh—Good evening, Merlin." Arthur muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"Well, technically it is morning, it is past midnight." Merlin replied as he approached Arthur who was still standing in front of Merlin's dressing room.

"I was looking for you.." Arthur started, ignoring his comment. "I was slightly—out of line earlier, and I wanted to, well, apologize." He said. _Morgana would certainly be proud if she could hear me_, he thought.

There was again the same silence between them, and Arthur regretted listening to Morgana's advice, the whole thing wasn't working for him.

"Apology accepted." Merlin finally replied. Arthur felt the same relief again, they could finally move on with their normal lives now.

"Gwen cares about you, you know." Merlin decided to continue. "I know she does, I can see it when she's around you. It is not my place to speak, but you should know there is nothing between her and Lancelot."

"I don't see how this has anything to do with—"

"It has because it's the reason why you were so angry in the first place, because you care about her too."

Arthur opened his mouth to speak but Merlin was faster. "What I'm trying to say is, I understand, and there is no need to apologize. Gwen still cares about you, she always will, but if you let your pride win, you are going to lose her."

Arthur wanted to defend himself, and his pride, but instead he started another topic. "Merlin, have you met my father?" He asked him and continued. "Just earlier this evening I had a conversation with him about how I should finally settle down and get married to someone _'suitable_ for me'." He chuckled slightly at himself; he couldn't believe he was having this same conversation with _Merlin_, the boy who walked in his cabaret looking like a peasant, someone Arthur didn't even think he would see again in his life. "Do you know who my father considers 'suitable' for me?" He continued, "Basically, someone like me. Someone that comes from a great family, a copy of the Pendragons, someone who will be narrow and dull and will only seek happiness in financial stability, which obviously I have to offer." Merlin realized he was no longer apologizing, and he guessed Arthur was still drunk otherwise he wouldn't be opening up his soul to him.

"Now, does that description fit Guinevere?" Arthur continued. "I didn't think so. Sure, Guinevere is talented and beautiful and she manages to leave everyone speechless when she sings, including my father, but do you think for one second that he would ever approve of us being together? Of course not, because both her parents are dead and they didn't leave her a single penny in heritage. Everything that she has, she has earned it by herself." By this time, Arthur was already yelling. He couldn't stop himself, it was like he had no control over what he was saying, and he had to let it all out. He was just thankful the music downstairs prevented anyone from listening to their conversation.

"Guinevere is a complete contrast to who my father wants me to spend the rest of my life with." Arthur said, lowering his voice. "Therefore, _Merlin_, I've got to let her go."

When he finally finished, Merlin, who was usually very good with words, didn't know what to say, or how to react to everything Arthur had just said.

"Your father wants the best for you, I'm sure of it, but he has no right to decide who you are going to spend the rest of your life with, or who you should or should not love."

"It's so easy to say, isn't it?" Arthur chuckled ironically. "And it's not about love, Merlin. My father doesn't believe in love."

"Do you?" Merlin asked.

Arthur didn't know how to answer this question, he had never thought about it. He thought he was in love with Guinevere, but he didn't even know what love looked or felt like.

"I don't know." Arthur answered, because it was the only answer he had.

"Well, I do, I believe in love, and in miracles and in people changing."  
"That's the same thing as believing in _magic_, Merlin." Arthur replied.

"I believe in magic, then. And you will one day too." Merlin said.

"That still doesn't change the fact that me and Guinevere can never be together."

"Maybe. But that doesn't mean you should stop believing in love because of it." Merlin replied, looking at Arthur intensely

"_Maybe_." Arthur mimicked.

For the first time in months, maybe even _years_, Arthur Pendragon was able to talk about his feelings, his thoughts −all those God damned confusing thoughts that raced around his mind−and he wasn't judged for what he said or how he felt. Maybe apologizing to Merlin wasn't such a bad idea after all. Maybe.


	5. The Offer

**CHAPTER 5**: _The Offer_

Morgana Le Fay was one of Arthur's biggest supporters when he decided to open his own cabaret. She helped in any way she could, from choosing the cabaret's interior to making deals with some powerful businessmen from London. She had always been very good with words and although she seemed innocent and pure of heart, Morgana was very good at manipulating people, when there was need to, of course. She wasn't just another attractive woman that used her beauty in order to get what she wanted, she was smart and clever, she had high intellectual abilities, and if she wanted, she could've had anything her heart desired. But Morgana was modest, and always tried to see the best in people, it was what her father always taught her to do; _'Always see the good in people, but don't ever let them step on you.'. _

Losing her mother at the age of only seven left Morgana with a hole in her heart, and it was up to Morgana's father to try and fill in that hole. But even at the age of twenty-three, it was still there, and Morgana found a way to simply pretend it didn't exist. Her mother loved to dance and that's why Morgana dedicated her life to becoming a professional dancer, King's Cabaret seemed like a good place to start.  
In the beginning, she planned on staying at the cabaret only temporarily but as time went by, Morgana realized how much she had come to love the place, how much she loved _the people_ that she saw everyday, she felt like she had finally found something to fill in that hole in her heart with.

But there she was now, leaning on the bed where her father was laying in the city hospital. His condition was getting worse, and according to the doctors' prognosis, he didn't have much time left, maybe a little more than a few months. Morgana was not ready to say goodbye, she was not ready for another hole in her heart.

She arrived at the cabaret that morning for rehearsals a bit later than usual. She had tried to cover her swollen eyes from crying on her way to the cabaret but there was no point, everyone knew about her father's condition anyway, she was just worried she wouldn't be able to cover the dark circles under her eyes for that night's performance. Morgana looked at herself in the big mirror in her dressing room and realized how much weight she had lost over the past couple of weeks. If it wasn't for the make up she was wearing she would look completely washed out, her face was skin and bones. She spent almost every night at her father's hospital, she went there straight after she would finish her performances just so she could watch over him. Arthur tried to convince her to quit doing that, that there was no point in it, but she refused to listen to him. Morgana didn't know how much time she had left to spend with her father; therefore she wanted to spend every second she_ did_ have with him.

Gwen slowly knocked on the wooden door of Morgana's dressing room and entered inside. She gave her best friend a small smile, and approached her closely. "How is your father? Any changes?"

Morgana shook her head and sat down on her creamy luxurious couch. "I am still waiting for a miracle to happen."

"You know I'm here for you, right? You are not alone in this." Guinevere replied, her eyes full of sympathy.

Morgana hugged her best friend and hoped she wouldn't start crying again. Morgana was starting to wonder if this was how her days were going to be like from now on. People would express their sympathy for her father and she would simply nod and thank them and hope she wouldn't break down in front of them.

"How about we go out in the city for a little while?" Guinevere spoke once she had pulled away from the hug. "We could go shopping, we haven't done that in ages!"

Morgana tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and gave her a small smile. "You've always known how to take someone's mind off of things."

"Thanks for doing this, Gwen, for being here for me, I mean." Morgana said as they walked around London. They planned to simply 'window shop' but Morgana was pretty sure they were going to end up buying ridiculous amounts of clothes, just like they always did. Morgana loved to spend money on herself, but she also loved giving gifts to her friends. On the other hand, Guinevere was more rational with her money and saved as much as she could.

"Ah well, I need to take my own mind off things as well…" Guinevere replied.

"You mean off Arthur?" Morgana raised an eyebrow at her.

"That too.." Guinevere trailed off. "Lately things between us have…changed."

"Well, I don't know what you expected when you're dating his best, and may I add _only_ friend." Morgana said as they entered one of the many stores that were in that section of the city.

"Me and Arthur both know nothing can ever be between us, I just hope things go back to normal soon." Guinevere replied.

Guinevere knew Morgana was right, but she and Lancelot had been together for several weeks now, and although it wasn't official, she found herself falling for him and she was positive Lancelot felt the same way about her. It was no longer about getting over Arthur, it was about Guinevere finally giving her heart to someone who could actually make her happy.

"Ah well, it's Arthur, he won't have too much trouble moving on." Morgana said as she looked through the racks.

"Thank you, Morgana." Guinevere retorted.

"Well, it's the truth. Him and Miss Marianne seem to be spending a lot of time together. And Uther loves her too." Morgana noted.

"She's beautiful, and she seems nice, I don't blame him." Guinevere said. She wasn't the type to get easily jealous, and although Morgana was aware of that, she still expected something more than just a dry but approving kind of answer.

"What about you?" Guinevere asked Morgana after a short silence.

Morgana raised an eyebrow at her friend. "What about me?"

"Well, you never talk about your love life, and don't even tell me you don't have one because that's impossible."

Morgana seemed like she was ignoring Guinevere for a second as she picked out a beautiful purple dress from the racks and analyzed it carefully. "I wouldn't call it a love life." She finally spoke. "Sure, I've gone home with a couple of gentlemen in the past couple of months, but that's it." She added. "No one dares to break Morgana Le Fay's heart."

"That's because you don't let them anywhere near your heart, Morgana." Guinevere replied as they headed to the dressing rooms to try on the dresses they had picked.

"True." Morgana said shortly. "I figured it's the smart thing to do being in my position. I need to take care of myself."

"But you can't hide your heart forever." Guinevere replied. "One day you will look back on your life and be sorry you didn't give yourself a chance to fall."

Morgana didn't have anything to say to that− other than, Guinevere was completely right− but it was the only way that Morgana knew how to protect her heart from getting hurt.  
And with a job like hers, she could never be sure if someone loved her for herself, everyone seemed like they wanted to use her instead.

Meanwhile, Arthur had gone to a meeting, a very important one, according to his father. Before they got there, he had told him they were meeting up with a very important business person and that he could double the profits of the cabaret. Arthur thought it was slightly odd, that his father showed such a sudden interest into his son's cabaret, but Arthur decided to go with it and go to this meeting. He wasn't sure who this 'business person' was, all he knew was that he worked with real estate, and over the time he climbed the upper class society in London.

But once they arrived at the place where they were supposed to meet Arthur realized _who_ they were actually meeting with. George Rodor was a real estate agent, one of the best ones – if not the best in England at the time− who had made a fortune throughout the years. Apparently, he had wanted to invest into the King's cabaret.

George Rodor was also the father of Marianne, and he didn't seem to be very keen of the young Pendragon, but the feeling was mutual. Rodor was very protective of his daughter and − knowing how much time she had been spending with a player like Arthur− didn't want to have any connection with him, or anyone from his family, whatsoever.  
That's why Arthur was listening to the man as he spoke, trying to find some hidden purpose behind it, but so far he had nothing.

"What do you say, Mr. Pendragon?" George turned to face Arthur after he finished talking. He had made his offer (to give 28 per cent of all his earnings) and the whole scenario seemed too good to be true to Arthur. "And what do you get from it?" He asked him as he crossed his arms.

"Isn't it quite obvious?" Rodor chuckled slightly. "You and my daughter seem to be getting on very well, if the Rodors and the Pendragons unite their fortune, we could become the most powerful families in all of England."

Arthur couldn't believe his ears, but everything had suddenly become very clear – why his father seemed so interested about the cabaret and this meeting, he had it all planned out. Arthur couldn't believe he so desperately wanted him to settle down, to the point where he would even make arrangements with George_ Rodor_.

"Your offer is indeed…intriguing, but I am afraid I must decline." Arthur finally spoke, trying to sound the least irritated as possible.

Before George could say anything, Uther spoke up, he didn't seem to care about showing how irritated _he_ was. "Arthur, may I speak to you in private for a moment?"

Arthur didn't say anything, he just followed his father outside the bar.

"What are you thinking?" Uther asked him once they were out of George Rodor's sight.

Arthur laughed ironically at him and shook his head. "What was _I_ thinking? I didn't arrange this meeting, father, you did."

"Don't play smart, Arthur. What the hell do you think you are doing?" Uther was seething with anger, but as always, he managed to keep his voice down. "I arranged this meeting so you can strengthen your cabaret financially, so you can be sure you will never bankrupt. Do you have any idea how much money his daughter is worth? We could unite our fortunes, your financial stability will be invulnerable."

"_My_ cabaret is doing just fine, without anyone else's help, it's doing more than fine, actually." Arthur responded. "But you had all of this planned didn't you? I would marry Marianne and finally settle down and eventually give up the cabaret to her father, the clueless idiot sitting in there!"

"Arthur, keep your voice down." Uther warned him. "I am doing this for you, all I've ever done in my life has been for you. I need you to re-consider his offer." He said.

After a short pause, Arthur spoke again. "My answer is still no."

"You don't have to make the decision now, take your time, but please, think about it Arthur." Uther's voice was quiet, almost whispering, Arthur never understood how he managed to always stay calm in a situation where Arthur himself wanted to scream in rage. They were very similar on the outside, but Arthur was much more temperament− he got_ that_ from his mother.

"Fine." Arthur said eventually. "I will think about it, I promise."

Once Arthur was back at the cabaret, he was in a desperate need of a glass (or two) of whiskey, and headed straight to the bar. It was Monday, and the cabaret was always completely empty on Mondays. He took one long sip of the drink and attempted to sort out his thoughts, he just wanted them to stop _rushing_ so much around his head, it was driving him crazy. Arthur thought about what his father said when he told George Rodor that he would reconsider his offer and Uther took the freedom to invite him to the gala he was hosting next week. That was when Arthur was supposed to give his answer to the offer.

He liked Marianne, she was absolutely beautiful, and she had a good heart as well. She was passionate about many things such as reading and painting and had an adventurous spirit. Arthur always had fun with her, she was one of the few people that could make him laugh and he enjoyed her company. It was safe to say, Marianne was completely different from her father, and Arthur assumed she was much more like her mother who died when Marianne was very young.

But Arthur wasn't in love with her, and how was he supposed to marry someone he didn't love? Sure, there were plenty of marriages he had known of in which there was no love, just mutual interest, but Arthur didn't want that for himself. And even if he could fall in love with Marianne, he wasn't ready. On the other hand, his father was partially right. If the Pendragons and the Rodors united their fortune, they would become the most influential families in all of England, his cabaret would be even more popular and visited, if that was possible.

Arthur was torn, and the only solution for now was to simply ignore everything and focus on finishing his favorite whiskey. Maybe that's why he didn't even notice when Merlin placed himself on the stool next to him.

"You've been sitting here for a whole hour, is everything alright?" Merlin spoke, his piercing blue eyes looking at him, trying to guess, to read anything off of Arthur's face.

"Have you been spying on me?" Arthur finally turned around to face him, pretending he hadn't flinched slightly when he had noticed Merlin was next to him.

"Something _is_ wrong then, if you didn't notice the five times I passed around here. We've been preparing for rehearsals."

Arthur rubbed his face with his palms and downed his whiskey, he felt like his head was going to explode if he didn't tell anyone. "It's…I have a very important decision to make, is all."

"And what kind of decision is that?" Merllin asked.

Arthur met Merlin's eyes, wondering if he could trust the boy, but he didn't have a choice, he had to tell someone.

"Merlin, would you ever marry someone simply out of…financial interest?"

"No." Merlin replied shortly. He didn't even have to think about it, he didn't believe in being happily married with someone if they didn't love each other.

Arthur furrowed his brows, and poured himself another drink. "But, let's say you respect that person, that you like them, and they share these feelings, but there isn't really love, would you still feel the same way about it?"

"Is Miss Rodor pushing you to marry her?"

"What-how do you know Marianne?" Arthur asked him, surprised look on his face.

"The cabaret is not _that_ big, Arthur." Merlin answered with a small shrug.  
"No, I mean yes it is about her, but that doesn't matter right now, I asked you a question first." Arthur continued. "What would you do if you were in my place? Would you marry someone if that was a guarantee for power?"

"Power?" Merlin raised his eyebrows. "Are the two of you going to take over the world or something?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Just answer the damn question, _Mer_lin."

"I don't know.." Merlin said. "I know _I_ wouldn't do it, no matter what it is about, but you and I are not the same."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Maybe you have different goals in your life." Merlin answered.

Arthur kept his eyes on Merlin for a little longer before he turned to his drink again. "Huh." He mumbled. "Maybe I do." He added. Arthur's first and most important goal in his life was to be successful, for people to know his name. Merlin, on the other hand, was passionate about the little things in life, he believed in love and that people belonged to each other. Music, reading, singing, those were the things that made him happy. All he had wanted back home in his village, he lived a simple life, nothing similar to what Arthur was used to. Maybe that's why their goals were so different, neither of them knew any better.

"Glad I helped." Merlin smirked.  
"That didn't help _at all_, Merlin." Arthur said before taking the bottle with him as he headed to his office up the stairs.

Arthur later realized however, Merlin had helped him more than he thought, he gave him answers, showed him things from another perspective. And suddenly, the decision wasn't so hard to make anymore.


	6. To Make It Right

**CHAPTER 6**: _To make it right_

Arthur hated early mornings. A lot. He was certainly not a morning person, at least not before he had his breakfast. But that Friday morning Arthur didn't even have time for breakfast considering he overslept, he had to leave for his tuxedo fitting and to the hair salon immediately. Afterwards, Arthur had to run about a hundred errands for his father, which he found ridiculous because it wasn't like his father couldn't afford someone to do that instead of him. It was safe to say Arthur's life was a bit more chaotic than usual for the past week, and the reason behind that was the 12th annual Pendragon Gala where powerful and influential people from all around the country attended Uther Pendragon's gala so they could eat, drink, gamble and talk a bunch of nonsense. Arthur never liked the gala, except for the food and drinks maybe, he hated almost every single person that got an invite.

Every year, he had to fake a smile and pretend he enjoyed everyone's company and listen to the same conversations all the time.

But Arthur was aware he didn't have a choice, he didn't want to disappoint his father by not attending, and the food was _really_ good−his father was great at planning his galas, he could admit as much. Arthur just hoped that Saturday would go by fast, and he looked forward to getting drunk and ending up in someone else's bed again. Except, this year was probably going to be slightly different. Arthur gave his word that he was going to announce his decision about marrying Marianne Rodor. He thought about it very hard, but in the end the decision was clear.

Arthur just couldn't wait to get it over with.

The Pendragon villa was one of Uther's biggest properties, it was quite large and had a big fountain in the shape of a dragon at the front. Arthur always found the fountain bizarre and fascinating at the same time, he loved to stare at it as a little boy and pretend the dragon was blowing fire instead of harmless water. Inside, there was a wide reception hall with a big, ornate, golden crystal chandelier and gold detailing on the walls that matched the design of the chandelier perfectly. There were stairs on both sides of the hall that led to the four bedrooms and two guest rooms. On the second floor there were also three bathrooms and a small library that belonged to Uther and himself only. The third floor housed two more rooms and bathrooms, along with a larger library. Arthur used to spend all his time there. Not because of the books, but because of the peace and quite that the place offered. His favorite spot was by the window where he had a perfect view of all the surroundings outside the villa. Back on the first floor, the big round hallway was followed by a living room just as grand with leather couches and crystal tables that Uther himself ordered to be crafted by hand.

Arthur had arrived at the villa an hour earlier before the gala had actually started. He put on his tuxedo in one of the bathrooms and attempted to do something with his hair. He tried to comb it backwards or on the side but in the end he gave up and decided to let it be. As Arthur walked down the stairs and everyone's heads turned towards him and he couldn't tell if they looked disappointed that it wasn't the father, or relieved that it was just his son. He shook people's hands and nodded at others and tried to look the least uncomfortable in his skin as possible. He didn't want to be there in the first place; therefore he really wasn't looking forward to talking to any of the people present.

Arthur grabbed a glass of champagne and scanned the room with his blue eyes. He was looking for either Morgana, or Lancelot, anyone that wasn't as boring and simpering as the people that were surrounding him. Arthur had held a bit of a grudge over Lancelot for a little while when he found out about him and Guinevere, but they eventually settled things down like adults and realized their friendship was much more worthy, Arthur simply couldn't afford to lose his only friend.

While Arthur was too busy looking for someone to talk to about something−anything−other than who slept with who, Merlin was completely stunned by almost every single person in the room and didn't even realize he was walking towards Arthur. It was too late when he crashed into Arthur.

"I am so sorry sir—"Merlin started to apologize but laughed when he looked up and was met with Arthur's scowling face. Just like every year, all employees in King's Cabaret were invited at the Pendragon Gala, and this year Merlin was added to the list of invitees as well. Merlin had never been to a gala before, of any kind of event, so he needed a lot of help from Guinevere to pick out what to wear and how to 'properly behave'.

"_Mer_lin, I almost spilled my drink all over myself, and you're _laughing_? Do you realize how expensive this tuxedo is? More than you could dream of earning before I hired you, certainly." Arthur said and finished his champagne before anyone else decided to bump into him.

"I'm sorry, I was just looking for you and, well, here you are!" Merlin exclaimed and fixed his own tuxedo. "How much does that tuxedo cost anyway?"

"Why were you looking for me?" Arthur asked him, ignoring the other question.

"Uhh, your father is looking for you? He asked me to look for you and let you know he's looking for—"

"For the love of God, Merlin, I am not an idiot." Arthur cut him off quickly as he grabbed Merlin by the shoulder and led him to the living room where it was quieter.

"Well that is debatable." Merlin mumbled and although Arthur heard him he decided to ignore it and resisted hitting Merlin on the head.

"Merlin, are you drunk?" Arthur asked him suddenly once he got a closer look of Merlin's face which was flushed.

"I've never been drunk, so I can't really tell." Merlin slurred, chuckling a bit more. A thought crossed Arthur's mind that maybe he should try to sober him up instead of leaving him to wander around in that state, but he had other things to take care of.

"Where's my father now?" He asked the boy, hoping he wouldn't start talking nonsense again.

Merlin scratched his neck and tried to orientate himself. "Uh I think I last saw him in the hall by the stairs talking with—And he's gone." Merlin sighed as he watched Arthur disappear into the crowd.

Arthur rushed back to the hall and prayed to every single God his father wasn't in the company of George Rodor. He assumed his father wanted him to announce for everyone to retrieve into the dining room for dinner and that meant that the time to carry out his decision was close.

Arthur wasn't known to be very lucky, though. He spotted both George and Marianne talking to Uther, all three of them were drinking champagne and laughing. _"Plotting my demise probably." _Arthur said to himself as he approached them.

"Arthur, we were just talking about you." Uther said enthusiastically and handed him a glass of champagne.

"I already had one." Arthur declined dryly and cleared his throat. He shook George's hand and smiled at Marianne, he was afraid any kind of intimate contact between them in front of her father would seem like crossing the line. "You look lovely tonight Marianne."

"You're not bad yourself, Arthur." She replied with a smile. Her long, brown hair was styled in big, voluminous waves and she wore a beautiful champagne-colored gown with crystals that made her look like she was some greek goddess of old.

Both Uther and Arthur excused themselves and climbed up the stairs where they had clear view of all the guests and asked them to head over to the dining room. When they were finally left alone, Uther turned to face Arthur.  
"I won't ask you what your decision is, because I know that you will choose the right one."

"As I _always_ do." Arthur said absent-mindedly and headed downstairs without saying anything further.

"Ladies and gentlemen, first I would like to thank you all for joining us on this wonderful evening," Arthur started, repeating the words his father said at every gala. "Tonight, is a special night, and I would like to share something with you." He continued. He glanced for a second at his father who seemed to give him an approving nod. Or maybe it was a warning '_screw this up, and you're done'_. "I am pleased to tell you all that Miss Marianne Rodor and I are engaged."  
_There is no going back now_, Arthur thought as everyone started to clap. He looked at his father again; he looked satisfied and proud of his son, and it was everything Arthur has ever wanted from his father but, for some reason, it didn't make him feel any better about himself.  
Marianne finally managed to join him by his side and kissed him. "You made me wait for so long, I almost thought you weren't going to do this." She said, smiling. She looked genuinely happy but Arthur was struggling to fake a smile.

He didn't say anything back at his new fiancé, because he wasn't sure what to say. Everything seemed to be happening so fast, people around him were congratulating him, and clapping and smiling and drinking and Marianne's grasp around his waist made him feel like he couldn't breath. Arthur just smiled and nodded at everyone and politely tried to remove Marianne's hand off of him. He excused himself and rushed towards the exit of the dining room, like he couldn't get out of there fast enough.

In less than a minute Arthur found himself outside standing at the big dragon fountain. When Arthur finally thought he was all alone, he spotted someone else standing there, a few feet further from where he was himself.

The other person didn't seem to notice Arthur's presence, so concentrated they were on analyzing the fountain.

"Excuse me?" Arthur decided to speak up, hoping the person would leave once they acknowledged him.

"It's a beautiful fountain." The person said and turned around to face Arthur.

Arthur rolled his eyes and wondered why he could never get rid of the boy. "Merlin, what are you doing here−outside?"

"The same thing you are – seeking fresh air."

"Ho−how long have you been here?" Arthur asked and approached him a little closer.

"Oh don't worry, I was there when you announced your engagement to Miss Rodor." Merlin replied and rested his hip on the fountain.

"That wasn't why I ask—"

"Arthur, what the hell are you doing?" Merlin was the one to cut him off this time, his voice was as soft and calm as usual.

Arthur's eyes widened slightly, he certainly didn't expect something like that from Merlin who was always so quiet. Merlin noticed Arthur's surprise, and realized he had obviously crossed the line. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, please, continue." Arthur said and crossed his arms. He wasn't annoyed, or angry, he was actually amused.

"I just…I thought that when you asked me what I would do—I thought you weren't going to—"

"I did what was right." Arthur said. "And you were right, we do have different goals in life, you and me. You are the type who would always pick true love and who believes that good always wins, and I, on the other hand, am the type of man who will always do what is right."

"What your _father_ thinks is right." Merlin corrected him, he was surprising even himself, how he found the courage to say things like that to someone like Arthur.

"My father and I seem to have the same perspective on things." Arthur replied defensively, realizing how ridiculous that sounded.

"You don't love her." Merlin said eventually, his voice was peaceful again. "And I don't think it's wrong to always pick true love, to choose to be happy instead of miserable your whole life because you didn't listen to your heart."

"That's the funny thing, because I can't even hear what my heart is telling me, I might as well not even have one." Arthur said and fixed his eyes on the fountain. "I don't love her; _that_ is true." He continued stiffly. "But I respect her, and I am sure that overtime I will learn to love her as much as she loves me. I know it's not going to be simple, but at least I know that my cabaret will never bankrupt, things will always stay the way they are now."

Merlin chuckled quietly, wondering how on Earth someone could be such an idiot. He didn't understand how people could put these kinds of things together in the first place, the material fortune, it all meant nothing if you weren't with the right person next to you. But maybe that was his problem, he _couldn't understand_.

"I hope you find the happiness you are looking for, Mr. Pendragon." Merlin finally said and headed back into the villa.

"I wouldn't put my hopes that high." Arthur said to himself.

Later that evening, when half of the guests had already left, Arthur was drunk enough to the point where he didn't mind Marianne's arms wrapped around him tightly. In fact, he couldn't wait to take her home and see that beautiful dress she was wearing on the ground.

Arthur had spotted Guinevere and Lancelot a couple of times, they congratulated him and Guinevere seemed happy, and probably somewhat relieved that he was finally getting married. Lancelot, on the other hand, didn't look as happy that his best friend was getting married although he tried his best not to show it, but that was only because he knew Arthur better than anyone. He knew why he was doing this, he knew what the cabaret meant to him, what his future meant to him. And most of all, Lancelot knew how much Arthur wanted to make the right decision for his father.

All his life, Arthur had been trying to somehow make it up to his father for 'killing' his mother. Uther had told him on plenty of occasions that it wasn't his fault, but it was a well known fact that Uther Pendragon had loved his wife more than anything and anyone. She meant the whole world to him, and when she died, while struggling to bring their only son into the world, Uther's whole world fell apart. He never really said it, but Arthur always felt like he was the reason behind Uther's bitterness and coldness over the years. He became lonely, he never remarried nor did he ever date another woman. And it physically hurt Arthur to think about it, to think about his mother, about her death, how hard it must've been for his father to watch the woman he loved fade away on the day that was supposed to be the happiest in the Pendragon family. That is why Arthur had to at least try and make his father proud, to get his approval, to get that same nod he gave him in the dining room that he did something _right_ for once. That is why he had to marry Marianne.

As Arthur was finishing his tenth (or maybe it was fifteenth) glass of champagne, he spotted Morgana coming downstairs. She looked extremely worried and agitated her skin even paler than usual. She searched the room with her big, green eyes and once she spotted Arthur she headed towards him immediately.

"It−it's my father." She managed to say in between breaths. "I just got a call from the hospital he—" Morgana couldn't manage to finish her sentence. Arthur got up from the couch he was sitting on and pulled Morgana into a hug. "He is gone, Arthur." She sobbed into his shoulder. "My father is dead."


	7. Holding On and Letting Go

**CHAPTER 7**: _Holding On and Letting Go_

The first week, since Morgana's father died, passed quickly, almost unnoticeably.

The funeral was small, as Morgana requested – only the closest friends of the family were allowed to attend and overall, it was a nice service. People comforted her with the usual; that she got to send her father away with a proper goodbye, that he would be proud of her and wouldn't want to see her sad and broken. But they didn't know what it was like to lose a parent, Morgana thought. They didn't know what it felt like to have no one; she no longer had a family. She was the last Le Fay, no brothers, no sisters. After a week of mourning, Morgana insisted on returning back to work, although Arthur gave her another extra week to put herself back together. But she didn't need to be put back together, all she needed was to occupy her mind with something. Morgana hated herself for spending the first two days after the funeral completely isolated from everyone, all she did was cry in her bed until one day she had to yell at herself to get out of bed and take a shower. She didn't intend on becoming weak just because she was now an orphan, and if she stayed any longer at home feeling sorry for herself, she would go crazy. She had to let go.

And once Morgana was back up on that stage at King's Cabaret, it was like nothing happened. She was no longer Morgana, on that stage, she was _Druid_. Druid wasn't the one who lost her father only a week ago, she didn't feel empty and lost inside, or like there was a huge hole in her heart. Druid was seductive and beautiful, strong, sensual and passionate. When she smiled, the whole room lit up, but as time went by, her bright smile was replaced with subtle sorrow that she tried so hard to cover. Two, three weeks had passed, and finally, it was a month since the funeral but Morgana still refused to talk about her father to anyone. She didn't want to be reminded of him, and although no one mentioned anything that could possibly sadden her anymore, there was some sort of a tension in the air in the cabaret and no one knew how to act around Morgana anymore.

One day, Merlin decided to visit her at her house and talk to her, or at least try to. He missed the old Morgana terribly, she was always so happy and managed to put a smile on his face even on his worst days like when he had to be at the cabaret early in the morning, for example. Once Morgana let him in, she smiled and asked him if he wanted anything to drink. Merlin was anything but thirsty, yet he agreed to have tea with her. She probably had some rum in_ her_ tea, because when she brought the cups into the living room, Merlin's nostrils filled with the familiar smell. Merlin never enjoyed alcohol, but the cabaret was filled with it so in the short period of time he had spent working there, he learned to recognize all those alcoholic beverages just by the way they smelled.

"Your home is very nice." Merlin smiled. "Warm, welcoming..."

"It's also extremely big and ninety percent of the rooms are not even in use." Morgana replied before taking a sip of her tea. "As you know, I've been living alone since recently, so there isn't much to do in such a big house."

Merlin didn't exactly know how to reply to that, so he decided to keep himself busy with the tea which burned his lips because it was still hot.

"Your performance last night was lovely." Merlin said after a little pause. "I enjoyed it."

"Of course you did." Morgana said, giving him a smile. "But really, Merlin, you didn't come here just to give me all these compliments." She added, reading Merlin's intentions easily.

"You're right." Merlin replied. "I—_we_ are worried about you Morgana." He started. "I know a horrible thing happened to you but, I just wanted to let you know you don't have to keep it all inside…" Merlin trailed off, he didn't really know what else to say other than he was there for her.

A small smile started forming on Morgana's lips and she reached out to hug Merlin. He wrapped his hands around her, not too tightly but enough to make Morgana feel safe and warm. They stayed like that for no longer than a few seconds, and then Morgana pulled away.

"I am alright." She gave him another smile. "It's…my way of coping with things, you know? When my mom died, I didn't cry. I was scared that if I started to cry, it would only make Father feel worse, so I pushed back my tears and ignored the huge lump in my throat that became almost a constant companion. Morgana started opening up, she hadn't even known she wanted to take those things off her chest. "And then I saw my father cry once, _weeks_ after my mom had passed away, and that's when I cried for the first time as well." She continued. "But crying never made me feel better, I always felt empty and exhausted afterwards, almost lifeless. That's why I don't like to cry, or talk about things that tear my heart to pieces. So, I haven't been pushing _you_ away," Morgana said and finished her tea, "just those feelings."

Merlin nodded, showing he understood her perfectly. And he really did.

"I will be fine Merlin." She repeated, more to reassure her own self than him. "_Time heals everything_, don't they say that?"

"Apparently it does." Merlin replied.

Later, as he was coming back to the cabaret, Merlin realized Morgana was the kind of person who didn't need anyone else to help her stay strong, to put her back on her feet – she did it herself.

Back at the cabaret, Arthur was trying to sort out the usual paperwork, wondering if it wouldn't be much easier to simply hire someone to do that for him, but he dashed that thought− he didn't trust anyone with his cabaret other than himself. His father couldn't understand why Arthur cared so much about the place, it was _just_ a cabaret that filled every night with people that came there for the alcohol and the women. But to Arthur, the cabaret meant so much more. For starters, it was _his_ cabaret. He never had anything that _he_ owned, it always belonged to his father, but the King's Cabaret had Arthur's name on it, not his father's. Through the years Arthur managed to turn the cabaret into the most visited place in all of London, and that was only because of his hard work and no one else's.

Arthur was drowning in paperwork when he heard a soft knock on the door.

"Come in." He said, clearing his throat.

Lancelot entered inside Arthur's office and placed himself on one of the chairs on the opposite of him.

"What do you need Lance?" Arthur asked without picking his head up from the papers.

"I just came to see how you were doing." Lancelot replied and Arthur glanced in his direction only for a second. "And, I've got some news."

"I'm very good, now move on to the news." Arthur said and finally put his pen down. "What's going on?"

"Well, I wanted to be the one to tell you before you heard it from someone else," Lancelot started, a small hesitation could be heard in his voice, as he tried to pick the right words. There was a small pause, and then he continued. "I asked Gwen to marry me, she said yes." Lancelot's brown eyes looked at Arthur patiently as he waited for a reaction from him.

Arthur, on his part, wasn't so sure what he felt at the moment. He was happy for his best friend, and for Guinevere too, he wanted nothing more than to see her live a happy life. But there was something else. Some kind of jealousy that started to grow inside of him, but he wasn't jealous of Lancelot and Guinevere, what he was jealous of was how_ simple_ it was for them. They loved each other, and that was everything they needed to be sure that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. It was never that simple for Arthur, and he always struggled with love. Love was such a complicated thing from Arthur's perspective that he couldn't even understand it, he wasn't sure if he had ever even felt love; the kind of love that hits your body and runs through it like electricity, so fast, so sudden, and sometimes even painfully so.

"Congratulations." Arthur finally spoke. "I really mean it, Lancelot." He said after a short pause. He was never good at showing emotions or putting them into words, but he hoped it would be enough for Lancelot.

"I'm glad you feel that way." Lancelot said, smiling a little in relief. "There is something I wanted to ask you too, though."

Arthur simply raised his eyebrows as a reply and let Lancelot speak.

"Well, since there's going to be a wedding, I was wondering if you'd like to be my best man." Lancelot asked him, with a dose of hesitation again.

"What kind of a question is that?" Arthur asked as he stood up from his chair and moved towards Lancelot. "As far as I know, _best_ friends are supposed to be _best_ men, right?" He smiled and pulled Lancelot into a hug.

"I just thought that since you and Marianne were getting married soon as well—"

"We've been through so many things together, and I intend on holding onto our friendship for a long time, there is no way I won't be standing right next to you that day." Arthur cut him off. "Plus, me and Marianne aren't getting married until July, so you've got two months left to do this." Arthur added.

Lancelot was going to say something to Arthur whether he was sure about marrying her, but then he decided against it because he was pretty sure Arthur didn't enjoy that topic too much.  
"Now, let's celebrate." Arthur said and pulled out a bottle of their favorite whiskey that was probably going to be gone by the end of the night. Lancelot laughed slightly and joined his best friend as they headed downstairs, things were finally as they used to be.

Merlin hadn't spoken to Arthur ever since the gala. They exchanged a word or two about the usual performing schedule but nothing else. Merlin wasn't sure if Arthur was mad at him for practically yelling at him because of his decision to marry Marianne, or if it was the other way around. Whatever it was, they didn't talk, and although Merlin felt bad about messing in his boss' private life, he decided he wasn't going to apologize because he hadn't done anything _wrong_, he simply stated his opinion.

Merlin also thought Arthur was a huge ass, but he was pretty sure he was going to lose his job if he said that out loud.

But on that Tuesday evening, Merlin couldn't avoid Arthur considering Arthur was the one who decided to pay Merlin a visit in his dressing room.

Unlike other times, Arthur was polite enough to knock gently on the door before Merlin allowed him to come in. Arthur sat down on the couch and looked rather uncomfortable.

"Do you need me for something, Mr. Pendragon?" Merlin asked, his hands neatly placed on his lap.

"Since when did you start calling me _Mr. Pendragon_?" Arthur scoffed.

"One can never please you, _Arthur_." Merlin said, emphasizing his name. He always felt weird calling Arthur by his last name, he simply wasn't used on it. (Plus, Arthur _was_ a nice name).

Arthur ignored Merlin's comments as he usual did, although he was the one to tease him first. He was aware things between them were weird ever since the gala, but he wasn't sure how to look at it. Merlin was just his employee, nothing else. A very annoying and boring employee, he might add. "It seems July will be your lucky month, Merlin." He said.

"You've been hired to perform at two weddings."

"Two?"

"Two, yes." Arthur confirmed. "Mine and Lancelot's."

Merlin didn't need much time to realize Lancelot and Guinevere were getting married, what confused him was why Arthur was telling him this now. He also made a mental note not to speak to Gwen when he would get home that night because she didn't even mention anything about a wedding.

"Anything else?" Merlin asked him after a minute.

"No, no, that would be all." Arthur answered and got up from the couch immediately when he realized he was practically staring at Merlin.

He headed to the door and as he put his hand on the door knob, he turned back around to face him. "Why do you think I made the wrong choice?" He asked Merlin. "And before you say anything, I don't want your stupid witty answers or anything like that, just…a simple, straightforwardanswer." Arthur added. He wasn't even sure why he felt the need to ask him this, but he had to know. He had to know why people disapproved his marriage with Marianne, because he spent so long convincing himself that he had made the right choice, and suddenly Merlin planted doubts inside of him again.

"Because you don't love her." Merlin said after some time that seemed like forever to Arthur.

"Love is…a luxury, _Mer_lin." Arthur replied as he moved a few steps forward towards Merlin. "A luxury that not even I can afford."

"That's your problem." Merlin said. "Love doesn't have a price, but you people seem to have forgotten that there are things that cannot be bought with money." He added with pity. "I don't blame you though, you were taught to live that way. It's _expected_ of you to live that way."

Yet again, Arthur found himself unable to reply back to Merlin, and for some reason that enraged him.

"Why do you care so much about all these things, Merlin?" He never gave a damn about other people's business, he rarely sympathized with anyone, but Merlin, he was a complete exception.

"I _don't _care." Merlin defended. "I just…I think we all deserve to make our own decisions in life."

"Marrying Marianne was my decision."

"Based on your father's expectations." Merlin countered.

Arthur opened his mouth to say something, but he realized it was pointless so he crossed his arms−Merlin was as stubborn as a mule−something he usually did when he felt uncomfortable or nervous and said "Before this conversation turns into something I will later regret, I will leave now while I still can."

Merlin didn't stop him, he simply looked at Arthur who rather intentionally slammed the door on his way out.

'_Why do you care so much?' _Arthur's words echoed in Merlin's head as he was leaving the cabaret later that night. "I don't care." He said out loud. "I don't care about anything that−_fool_ does." But deep down inside of him, a feeling that Merlin wasn't sure about, started to grow. He was mad and confused and he couldn't even understand why. He wasn't supposed to care what his boss did, or who he married, _just like my boss doesn't care about me anyway, _he thought to himself. But that still didn't stop Merlin from thinking about him as he went to sleep that night, or as he ate his breakfast the next morning before he headed to the cabaret. Arthur seemed to occupy his thoughts quite often without any particular reason, and Merlin was quite positive he disliked Arthur. He disliked him _a lot_, but he assumed the niggling feeling wouldn't go away any time soon.


	8. The Sins Of The Father: Part One

**CHAPTER 8: **_The____Sins Of The Father: Part One_

Marianne's big brown eyes were the first thing Arthur saw that morning.  
She smiled at him as he slowly opened his sleepy eyes. Marianne was absolutely beautiful; there was no doubt in that. So many wanted her, they would kill to be in Arthur's position for only a couple of moments and Arthur could only wonder why Marianne picked _him_. Sure, he was rich and powerful, but Marianne had that already, it wasn't what she was after. Arthur often found himself thinking about it, what made her fall in love with him, if you took away his last name, he didn't really have any redeeming qualities. But she loved him, and all Arthur had left was to pray he could one day love her as much as she loved him.

"Good morning." Marianne said, as the morning sun lit her face.

"What time is it?" Arthur mumbled.

"A bit after eight." She replied, moving slightly closer to Arthur to give him a kiss.

"Since when do you wake up so early?"

"Oh I'm just…happy." Marianne answered. It was true that it was very unusual for her to wake up early, she always slept in until about noon. She had to have her beauty sleep, as she liked to say. Arthur would love to have his beauty sleep as well, but he always had something to do at the cabaret, somewhere to be, someone to meet with, and all that had to be done in the morning when he was anything but himself.

"I'll be late…" Arthur said, showing no intentions of getting out of the bed any time soon.

"It's Saturday, Arthur. I thought we could—"

Arthur cut her off immediately, knowing that she would suggest that they could go somewhere for breakfast, and then do something together, just like they did every weekend when Arthur didn't have to be anywhere, which was rare. "I have a meeting I have to go to and then—"

"Cancel it." Marianne was the one to cut him off this time. "You are Arthur Pendragon, _you_ say where you should go and when." She said. Arthur smiled at her little bit, and opened his mouth to speak again, say how he couldn't do that, it would make him seem irresponsible, but this time Marianne cut him off again with another, longer kiss.

"Fine." Arthur said when he pulled away. "I'm convinced." He smiled. "I'll cancel it."

"I love you." Marianne said, gazing into his blue eyes that she could spend all day looking at.

There was a long pause before Arthur managed to speak up. "I love you too." It wasn't that hard to look someone in the eyes and lie after all.

Merlin joined Gwen and Lancelot on the table for breakfast as they laughed about something.

"Making fun of me behind my back?" He asked as he placed himself on one of the chairs. His pajamas were a bit too big for him, his hair was messy and undone unlike when he performed at the cabaret. He reminded Gwen of a boy again, she always commented how Merlin transformed into a grown, confident young man when he was on stage performing.

"There are other things we like to talk about other than you, Merlin." Lancelot smiled and kissed Guinevere tenderly.

Merlin rolled his eyes and grabbed a bagel. "It looks like I should start looking for a place to move."

"Oh don't be ridiculous." Guinevere said. "I know it's not the biggest house, but it is big enough to fit the three of us here."

"I know, I just don't feel…comfortable with all of _this_." Merlin motioned towards them.

Merlin was genuinely happy for Gwen and Lancelot, but he simply wasn't comfortable living with them, he felt like a third wheel all the time.

"I'm sorry if we've made you uncomfortable, Merlin, we'll be careful from now on." Guinevere smiled. "Won't we, Lancelot?"

"I'll try, but I don't promise anything." Lancelot answered and placed a brief kiss on Guinevere's cheek.

"Right, right, let's just eat." Merlin said and focused on all the food in front of him.  
Merlin wasn't afraid of being alone, on the contrary, he preferred it that way. The quiet relaxed him and gave him space to think and gather his thoughts. It helped him with the singing and the poetry writing−which, in their defense, no one knew about, not even Gwen. He never showed his songs to anyone, because they included his personal emotions and Merlin planned on keeping them personal, written on a blank paper, hidden from the rest of the world.

He was aware that both Gwen and Lancelot had no intentions of making him feel uncomfortable or like he didn't belong anymore in that house, but their wedding was soon and after three months of living with Gwen, it was time for Merlin to search for a home of his own.

Once again Morgana couldn't stand to stay inside her house all day, it felt so cold and empty, and she had to go somewhere. The only place that felt better than home at the moment was the cabaret, and considering it was a day off and the cabaret was closed, she decided to turn on the music and start dancing. She put on her stage make up, dressed up into one of the hundreds of leotards hanging on the racks and headed over to the stage. The music was loud and soon enough she forgot about everything, nothing else existed, just the music and her, like she was in some other dimension.

Morgana remembered how her father taught her to waltz, she would stand on his feet and hold tightly onto his hands, and he would tell her to relax and just focus on the music, turn off everything else. _'Music will always show you the way, you just need to follow it.' _He would say. That memory went away as fast as it came, but it made Morgana feel like someone had just punched her in the stomach. She had a sickening feeling, the thought of him physically paining her. The music finished and she found herself on her knees, gasping for air in between sobs. A couple of minutes later she somehow managed to get up and go back to the dressing room where her belongings were. She opened her purse and took out a bottle of anti-depressants her doctor had given her to use only in extreme necessity. The pills were strong and Morgana was aware she wasn't supposed to mix them with a bottle of whiskey, but in that moment she couldn't find it in her to care about what was wrong or right, she just wanted to numb the pain. It was ten o'clock when she left the cabaret that night, she couldn't tell if she was drunk or the pills had taken over, and Morgana assumed it was a bad idea to wander around the streets in that state, but the pills and the alcohol seemed to do the job – she was numb, she didn't care about it.

But somehow, she still couldn't push away her thoughts or her memories. Morgana remembered a couple of years ago, on her birthday how happy she was surrounded by her father, Arthur, Gwen and all her friends. They clapped as she blew away the candles and thought of a wish. She wished to always be happy, to smile, to have her loved ones by her side forever. It was one of the best days she had ever had and Morgana couldn't be happier back then. She wondered why happiness was so fragile and so fleeting, why it couldn't last. Morgana wanted to hold onto those memories, onto those happy moments in her life that had become so rare ever since she lost her father, but it was pointless. Those were in the past, together with the young, innocent girl that once existed. Morgana was no longer innocent, her innocence was taken away from her the moment she lost all her family, because when you no longer have a family you have to grow up, and when you grow up innocence ceases to be a part of you anymore.

Morgana didn't realize when or how she ended up walking in the middle of the street instead of the sidewalk, and she probably wouldn't even notice it herself any time soon if it wasn't for the loud noise coming from the car that was heading in her direction. Morgana's movements were slowed down by the pills and the alcohol and before she had time to move away from the sidewalk, it all turned black.


	9. The Sins Of The Father: Part Two

**CHAPTER 9**: _The Sins Of The Father: Part Two_

_**Note**__: I decided to update earlier instead wait for the weekend since the ending of the last chapter was kind of a cliffhanger. So, I hope you guys like this one, thank you for the support so far, your reviews are basically my fuel for writing! This story is actually just starting, there's so much more that I have planned! _

Resting his elbows on his knees, Arthur was sitting in the waiting room at the city hospital in London. Guinevere, Lancelot and Merlin were on their way, therefore Arthur was all alone, for now. He tried to remember who else to call, to inform them about Morgana's accident, but there was no one else she had. Only her friends from the cabaret, they were her closest family. He played with the ring on his thumb and waited for his turn to go in and pay her a visit. His father went inside her room as soon as one of the nurses announced that visits were allowed. Arthur had never seen him like that before; Uther's usual, calm demeanor was replaced by desperation, madness. Arthur tried to calm him down while the doctors were performing the operation on her, but Uther just kept walking nervously around the waiting room, unable to sit down. And then after a whole hour, the main doctor announced the operation was successful and Morgana was no longer in critical condition. Uther went inside immediately, and left Arthur suddenly thinking about life, and how fragile it was. It could be taken away from you at any time, any place, and still, people take their lives for granted.

When Merlin, Guinevere and Lancelot arrived, they were out of breath, each of asking questions about Morgana, _what happened_, _how is she_,_ where is she_,_ when can we see her_. Arthur just stared at them, waiting for the questions to die down. "She was hit by a car, the driver brought her in and recognized her from the cabaret. He called Gwaine, one of the bartenders− apparently they are friends or something− and Gwaine called me." Arthur started. "I don't know much about her injuries, she had a brain injury followed by internal bleeding and some broken ribs." He explained and Guinevere started crying. Arthur almost reached out to pull her into a hug, but then he realized it wasn't his place to do that. Instead, Lancelot wrapped his sown arms around her, while Merlin sat down on one of the chairs.

"Is she going to be alright?" He asked.

"The doctors are optimistic, the operation was successful but they are going to keep her in one more day, just in case." Arthur answered. "She's out of the critical state, but they still want to keep an eye on her."

In another situation, Merlin would make some remark about how Arthur could be a doctor, or something like that because of the professionalism in his voice, but at the moment, he just wanted to see Morgana's bright smile again.

"You should know something else, though..." Arthur said, hesitating a bit. "The doctors said that they found a fairly big amount of alcohol inside of her, mixed with anti-depressants. Apparently, a cocktail like that can cause her brain to-to shut down completely."

"She tried to kill herself?" Guinevere's eyes widened.

"I don't know, but according to the doctors, she was '_lucky_'." Arthur said. He had almost punched the doctor earlier when he said that Morgana was lucky, that she was brought into the hospital before it was too late.

"When can we see her?" Guinevere asked, wiping away the tears with a handkerchief.

"My father is in there, once he's out I guess they'll let someone else in." Arthur rubbed his face and his eyes. It was some time after midnight, and they were all extremely tired, but none of them would go home until they saw Morgana. "You can go inside instead of me, Guinevere." He added, Guinevere was still crying and looked distressed, so he decided it was better for her to go in first.

Inside, Uther was sitting on a chair next to Morgana's bed, holding her hand in of his. He stroked her palm with his fingers and kissed it gently from time to time. He didn't move his eyes from her, not even for a single second, he wanted to wait for her to wake up.

"The first thought that crossed my mind when I found out what happened to you…I thought I would never get to tell you the truth, my child." Uther spoke, slowly and quietly. "The simple thought that I wouldn't get to tell you that you are my _daughter_…I couldn't take it. I want you to know, Morgana, I've wanted to tell you for so long but the time never seems to be right. I have tried so many times, but the words simply won't come out. And I am afraid, afraid that you will never forgive me for hiding the truth from you, but God has given us another chance, _I_ was given another chance to be honest with you." Uther felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. He was aware Morgana couldn't hear a single word, but just saying this out loud – it felt like he had finally admitted the truth to himself. Morgana was his daughter, his own flesh and blood – she was a Pendragon. No one knew about it, absolutely no one, not even Arthur, and Uther had planned on it to stay that way, but after that night when he almost lost Morgana, he made a promise, he swore he would no longer keep the truth from Morgana. She had every right to know, he knew that, but how a man like him was supposed to reveal to the whole world that he had an affair with Vivienne Le Fay more than twenty years ago? Both Uther and Vivienne swore to never talk about their affair, to pretend like it had never happened, neither of them wanted to risk their positions. And now Uther had no other choice but to tell Morgana, he was aware he risked everything by it, but he hoped she would understand the reasons for why he had hid the truth from her for so long, and he could only hope she would keep that secret just like he did. Especially from Arthur.

The following day Morgana was awake. She couldn't remember much from the accident, but she was able to confirm that she had mixed alcohol and the anti-depressants but claimed that she had no intentions to harm herself.

Some time in the afternoon Merlin came back to the hospital to visit her, he was holding a bouquet of red roses in his hands, Morgana's favorite. In the waiting room he spotted Arthur and Merlin had a moment to wonder if he had even gone home the night before. His hair was a mess and the dark circles around his eyes only confirmed Merlin's suspicions that he spent the night at the hospital.

"Morning." Merlin greeted him, making a few steps forward to where Arthur was sitting.

"Hello, Merlin." Arthur replied as he met Merlin's eyes. "She'll love those." Arthur added, noticing the roses.

"She always has a bouquet of red roses on the desk in her dressing room, so I thought I'd get her these." Merlin said with a small−hesitant−smile. "How is she?"

"Better. The doctors are back inside, if everything's okay they should let her out today." Arthur said. "I visited her earlier, she mentioned you, actually."

"She did?"

"I don't know _why_, but she trusts you a lot and Morgana doesn't trust people easily. I guess she likes you."

"Don't be ridiculous." Merlin replied, feeling his face heat up. "I just−I'm a good listener."

"Are you?" Arthur raised his eyebrows. "I find that hard to believe considering how much you love judging people."

"I don't—that's _not_ true!" Merlin protested, although he knew it was half-true− alright, it was completely _true_. But it was only because Arthur made _stupid_ decisions.

"It is." Arthur said. "Though, you aren't _always_ wrong, just most of the time."

"Sorry, what was that? I don't think I heard you right." Merlin laughed and Arthur rolled his eyes. "Don't make me hit you here at the hospital, _Mer_lin."

Merlin smiled a little at that, and there was a short silence between them, only some muffled voices could be heard coming from the rooms around them.

After a couple of minutes, the doctors came out of Morgana's room and approached Arthur. They said there were no complications, but she would need to rest for the next two weeks.

"You should go inside, I'm sure she wants to see you." Arthur said when the doctors left.

"And you should go home, you look terrible." Merlin replied, shaking his head.

Arthur glared at Merlin and smacked him on the head. "You asked for it." He said and made a desperate attempt to fix his messy hair.

Merlin chuckled at him and stroked the sore place on his head as he entered Morgana's room.

She smiled weakly when she saw him, her eyes lit up immediately.

"Hello, Morgana." He smiled back and kissed the back of her hand. Her face was pale, and her hair wasn't styled in its usual, precise waves, instead it was straight and messy. Merlin still thought she looked beautiful. "How are you?"

"They gave me morphine for my broken ribs, so right now I feel like I'm floating." She said, chuckling.

"You scared us all to death, Morgana." Merlin said as he placed himself on the chair next to her bed, the one that Uther had occupied the night before.

"I'm sorry." She said, the smile fading away from her face. "I didn't mean to."

"I know. You should've come to me, or Gwen, or Arthur…"

Morgana didn't say anything for a few moments, instead, she just looked at Merlin, seemingly studying his face. She was struggling, debating with herself whether she could trust him.

"What?" Merlin asked, a small smile forming on his lips.

"I−just wanted to say thank you." Morgana said eventually. "For the roses." She smiled.

"I know you've received bigger bouquets but—"

"The flowers are perfect, Merlin." Morgana smiled once more, reaching for his hand. She wanted to tell him, tell someone, _anyone_, but she wasn't sure it was a good idea.

Merlin looked at her hand in his, he wasn't sure why, but he felt like they were similar, like they shared so many things in common although their lives were completely different. But their passion for the things they loved to do, the fact they lost a parent at a very young age, it made Merlin feel like he could relate to Morgana, and her to him.

"I should probably go, let you rest." Merlin said after a while and pulled his hand away slowly. "It's good to have you back, Morgana."

"I am not going away again." She replied, smiling at him. "I promise."

Once Merlin exited the room, Morgana's smile faded away again. (It seemed to be doing that a lot lately.) She wanted to tell Merlin−she _trusted_ him−but she wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do, to tell anyone. She would probably put him in danger, and the boy didn't deserve it.

Uther Pendragon was the only one who deserved to suffer, she thought, and she wouldn't let anyone else get hurt along the way.

Uther−her _father_, which made Morgana a Pendragon, just like Arthur. It made her his half sister, and their _beloved_ father decided to hide the truth from both of them. Or maybe Arthur knew already, she couldn't be sure. Morgana couldn't be sure of anything anymore; she didn't know who to trust or what to do next.

She was positive of one thing however– she wasn't going to let Uther just get away with his lie so easily. Morgana's whole life could've been different had she been told the truth earlier. She was going to let Uther tell her the truth himself and make him think his daughter forgave him for lying to her, pretend to accept him as her father, but once she was fully recovered−once she got out of this blasted hospital gown−she would take things into her own hands.


	10. The Wedding

**CHAPTER 10**: _The Wedding_

A whole month passed since Morgana's accident, and according to the doctors, she made a very quick recovery. They did forbid her to dance for another month because of the broken ribs, though, but on days when the cabaret was closed, she would sneak inside and dance until she could no longer breathe. Dancing was everything to her and Morgana was never known as one who plays by the rules. She didn't have any idea how else to spend the days off since she distanced herself from everyone, except for Merlin. Morgana didn't want to see Arthur or Guinevere or Uther, or anyone else, she didn't want to talk to any of them. Her excuse was that she was tired and needed rest, and none of them bothered her – they only wished for their Morgana to get better as soon as possible and join them at the cabaret again.

But she couldn't rest even if she wanted to – all Morgana thought about was who her real father was. During the first couple of days, she felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest because of the anger and betrayal she felt, and then as she recovered, the anger seemed to disappear altogether with the pain. She was no longer angry, just bitter. Morgana desperately wanted to tell someone about it, she wasn't sure how long she could keep it just to herself. But who was she supposed to trust? What if the whole cabaret knew except for her? No, of course no one else knew, Uther wouldn't let that. She couldn't be certain about anything any more, except for one thing - Morgana promised she will not forgive Uther for hiding the truth from her for so long, _and she never did._

Time seemed to fly by fast at King's Cabaret, and so June arrived, and with that – the wedding everyone talked about. Guinevere and Lancelot's wedding was only a week away, and cabaret was filled with excitement and anticipation. Both Guinevere and Lancelot decided to have their wedding party at the cabaret since that had been where they had met, and so they thought it was the most appropriate place to celebrate with their friends and family. Arthur was more than happy to help with the wedding, which surprised Merlin quite a lot considering most of the time Arthur liked to sit and watch people do stuff that _he_ was too lazy to do himself. But for Arthur, helping with the wedding meant a lot more than just helping his best friend prepare for the biggest day of his life – it meant letting go and learning to be happy for the people around him. It was a new feeling for him, but he liked it. On the day of the wedding, Arthur decided to visit the cabaret while it was still empty and make another last minute check. But even before he entered inside, he heard Merlin's familiar voice. Arthur was still used to his extraordinary abilities. If anyone asked him though, Arthur would always say Merlin's voice was _average_, of course.

"_They're writing songs of love, but not for me,__  
__A lucky star's above, but not for me,__  
__With love to lead the way,__  
__I found more clouds of grey,__  
__Than any Russian play could guarantee."*_

"Final rehearsals for tonight?" He asked him once Merlin finished the song.

"Something like that, yes." Merlin replied and climbed down the stage

"It's a lovely song, actually." Arthur commented and offered him a drink, he knew Merlin was going to decline, but he still asked.

"It's easy to write the song when you've known the people you're writing about for a while."

"Wait, you're telling me you wrote _that_?" Arthur asked in disbelief.

"Is it that surprising?" Merlin said, ignoring the slight warmth in his cheeks.

"I didn't know you could write songs, that's all." Arthur replied. "Do you have any other hidden talents I do not know about? Maybe you work as a juggler as well?"

Merlin rolled his eyes, but decided not to fight the smile forming on his lips. "No other hidden talents, no."

"I don't say this often, not to many people anyway, but you _are_ pretty good." Arthur said and finished his drink. "The songwriting, I mean. You can feel free to perform them, just something faster than this, we don't want our guests to fall asleep, of course."

Merlin ignored his comment and said, "I don't like sharing my songs, so I don't think that would work out."

"Why not?"

"I just…don't feel comfortable sharing my thoughts with so many people." He said. "What I'm doing for Gwen and Lancelot is an exception, but no one has heard any of my songs before, not even Gwen."

"I guess I should feel honored then, that I got a peek at what's going in our _Mer_lin's head." Arthur chuckled, although he was joking. Arthur felt like he didn't even know Merlin at all. He never shared anything about himself, and only Gwen knew him the best. On the other hand, Arthur respected his wish to keep his life to himself, but there were moments when he felt like he didn't even know the boy he hired just months ago.

"Oh, definitely honored." Merlin nodded and let out a small laugh. He realized suddenly that it was the first time the two had an actual conversation that didn't involve any arguing or insulting.

A couple of moment had passed before Arthur finally moved his gaze away from Merlin and said, "Well, I will let you continue rehearsing, I just came here to see if everything's ready." He stood up from the stool and headed to the door. "I'll see you tonight, then." Arthur said, and with that he left Merlin alone in the empty cabaret.

Later that evening, during the wedding reception at the cabaret, everyone seemed to be in a good mood and having fun. The freshly married couple danced away the night, both Guinevere and Lancelot looked stunning, both glowing with happiness. Guinevere wore a long, creamy dress that gave an accent to her tiny figure but still didn't show too much skin. Arthur was busy making sure he didn't have to encounter his father, or Marianne for that matter, so he stayed behind the bar half the evening, Merlin was the main performer and spent most of the night on the stage, and since Morgana was forbidden to have any major activities, she was sitting on one of the tables and playing with the untouched piece of cake on her plate.

"Your thoughts?" Merlin joined Morgana at the table when he finished performing.

"Nothing in particular, just how fast time goes by." She replied with a small smile.

"I meant about the song I wrote for Gwen and Lancelot." Merlin said, smiling at her widely.

"Oh-oh, it was amazing, I loved it!" She blushed, she wasn't even paying any attention to Merlin's performance, and Morgana's mind was on one thing only−for the past couple of weeks.

"It's alright; I noticed you drifted away half-way through my performance, what's wrong?" He asked.

Morgana thought _that's my chance to tell him_, to lift the weight off her chest. But no words came out, her green eyes were simply fixed on Merlin, looking for a sign that it would be alright to tell him, that her secret – Uther's secret would be safe with him. She didn't care about Uther, but she didn't want anyone to know yet, Morgana wanted to be the one to tell the world about her father's sins.

"What's wrong Morgana?" Merlin repeated. "You can trust me, you know you can."

"It's—it's just that I've had a really tiring day." She finally said, biting her lips as if to stop herself from saying anything else.

"I see." Merlin said, sounding rather disappointed for some reason. He didn't know how, but he could sense Morgana wasn't telling the truth− it was the way she avoided his eyes when she spoke. "Well, I guess this week has been quite stressful for you as well," Merlin continued. "How many times did she call you? Twenty? Fifty times?" He chuckled, and Morgana couldn't help but do the same as well. It was what Merlin did, maybe he was quiet most of the time, and didn't talk about his feelings other than on paper, but he managed to have this influence on people, to make them cry for his performance, or make them laugh at his silly jokes.

They were interrupted by Arthur− who tapped his glass of champagne with a fork in order to get everyone's attention on him, and spoke up. "I wasn't sure how to start this speech, I tried writing one but nothing came to me, so I simply decided to go with whatever comes to my mind." He started and several people laughed. "I've known both Lancelot and Guinevere for quite some time now, and they are one of my closest friends. When I heard that they got engaged I wasn't surprised, but at the same time, I was stunned by how fast they were moving forward." Arthur said, taking a short glance at the couple. "It was like they knew they belonged to each other for their whole lives, they just waited for the right moment to tell the world about it, and I _truly_ admire that. I admire their love for each other, and their loyalty. When Lancelot asked me to be his best man – I couldn't be more ecstatic about it, because I knew that I was going to be the best man of the most beautiful couple in all of Britain, and I know that that _is_ what the best man is supposed to say in his speech, but I really mean it." He said, no one even dared to make a sound, everyone's attention was on Arthur, only his voice echoing in the cabaret. "I hope that the same luck and happiness will follow me and Marianne." When Arthur finished his speech and proposed a toast to the newly married couple, the music started again and everyone followed Guinevere and Lancelot to the dance floor.

Merlin wanted to continue his conversation with Morgana from earlier, but once again they were interrupted.

"Hey, you two!" Guinevere shouted for them from the dance floor. "Drag your backsides over here," She laughed. "I want the two of you dancing on my wedding!"

"Sometimes she can't help but be too-demanding." Lancelot shook his head apologetically as he kissed his wife's cheek.

"Well, the bride has requested our presence on the dance floor." Merlin said. "May I have this dance, my lady?" He asked Morgana.

"You know dancing is in my blood, I would never say no to _that_ question." She replied and they both joined Guinevere and Lancelot.

In the early hours of the morning the wedding party was finally coming to its end. There were still a few people left, some still dancing, others at the bar drinking or finishing the wedding cake. Arthur was in Marianne's company, she was continuously laughing about something that Arthur was talking about, and Merlin couldn't help but roll his eyes at the picture. If he hadn't known any better he would've thought that the two were genuinely in love. Well, Marianne probably was, and Merlin suddenly felt sorry for her. He wondered if Arthur would ever truly love her −he imagined them having countless fights every day, not living in harmony and peace because of the unease Arthur would be feeling. His mind would constantly be somewhere else when she would talk, and he would push her away every time she would try to reach him. He shook away the though immediately, realizing that - as always – he was over-analyzing everything, making up stories where there were none. Merlin had to remind himself that after all, he wasn't part of their world and never would be. He didn't have a rich father who would help lead him to the '_right'_ path, and show him how to make the most '_beneficial'_ life-decisions− such as marrying someone because of their financial status_. I could never understand their world because I'm not a part of it, period,_ he resigned himself to the truth.

Merlin went over to Guinevere and Lancelot's table and said he was tired and wanted to go home. He excused himself and headed to his dressing room to change. On his way there, he stopped by where Arthur was sitting and announced he was going home. Arthur absent-mindedly told him he was free to go, only giving him a small nod. As Merlin headed to the dressing room, he heard Arthur call his name. He turned around, his eyebrows raised in question.

"You did a good job tonight." Arthur said. "It was a successful evening."

"What he means to say is that your performance was beautiful!" Marianne cut in, smiling widely at Merlin. She made it so hard to find her irritating. He sighed inwardly.

"Well, thank you." Merlin replied. "Good night." He added and climbed up the stairs towards the dressing rooms.

His mind went back to Morgana who had left after their second dance, complaining about the pain in her ribs. Merlin knew she had lied to him earlier saying that everything was alright, and for some reason it disappointed him that Morgana didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth. He didn't want to snoop into her personal life, but eventually Merlin's curiosity would get the best of him– he had to know what was going on. .

***Note**: _The song I used above belongs to the Gerswin Brothers, later performed by Eileen Farrell in 1938. _


	11. Truth and Trust

**CHAPTER 11**: Truth and Trust

To celebrate her recovery, Uther decided to take Morgana to dinner, just the two of them. Morgana's immediate thought was that he finally decided to come clean with the truth, that he would explain to her why he couldn't tell her sooner−that he was her biological father. Morgana wasn't going to forgive him that easily, but she still wanted to hear those words come out of his mouth.

That evening she met him at the restaurant they went to every morning after her birthday, it was a nice, quiet place that had the capacity to have no more than 20 guests which made it pretty intimate. Uther helped Morgana settle down in her seat and then he joined her on the table, sitting on the chair opposite of her.  
"Do you remember the last time we came here with Arthur? The two of you broke a couple of glasses and spilled champagne all over the table, if I remember well." Uther said and chuckled slightly as he lit up a cigar.

Morgana didn't need much to remember either, it was only a year ago after all, but at the same time so many things had happened since then that it seemed like much longer.

"I remember." She said, smiling at the memory. "I wish Arthur could be here tonight."

"If I invited Arthur as well I would have to invite his fiancé as well, and I wanted tonight to be just the two of us." Uther replied. "I wanted to talk to you about something, Morgana."

Morgana's stomach turned into knots immediately, she thought that was it – he was going to tell her. She didn't dare say anything, preferring to stay quiet, so Uther continued to speak.

"I am going to tell you this as your father, God knows I love you as much as your real father did." He said and reached out for her hand on the table.  
Morgana was still quiet; her thoughts were rushing in her head, trying to think of every possible scenario in her head that could play out in the next couple of minutes.  
"I know you've been through so much, and after the accident, after almost losing you – I realized how tired you must be." Uther continued, and with every word that came out of her mouth, Morgana realized he wasn't anywhere near telling her the truth.

"I took the freedom to arrange you a vacation – a year long vacation, I even found a replacement at the cabaret while you'll be gone, and before you say anything – yes, I am aware that you cannot be replaced by anyone in this world no matter how talented, but I just want the best for you, and right now I think you need a long rest."

When he finished, Morgana slowly removed her hand that was held by Uther's, she leaned back on her chair and took a sip of the white wine that sat on the table. She tried to gather her thoughts, and although she had a hard time doing it, her demeanor showed no signs of any of the struggle within.

"And where would I go during this vacation?" She asked after a short silence.

"New York, Los Angeles, Europe – anywhere your heart desires" He replied.

"I accept." Morgana said shortly.

"You accept?" Uther repeated in disbelief, he didn't expect Morgana to agree on it so easily.

"Yes. I think you are right, I _am _tired and traveling would be lovely."

"Good, very good. Then I will make the final arrangements and you will probably be able to leave some time in the next two weeks." Uther said, he couldn't hide his happiness.  
"Perfect." Morgana said and smiled back at him. Her plan was developing faster than she expected, and that meant that she could start with its realization sooner than she had initially intended.

Back at King's Cabaret, Arthur, Merlin and Guinevere were going through the song numbers for that following week and both Merlin and Guinevere made some suggestions and adjustments that they wanted to include but Arthur just absent-mindedly nodded to each word they said. Merlin noticed Arthur wasn't paying any attention to what he was saying – it happened far too often while Merlin was having a conversation with him that all he had to do was quickly glance at him to realize that his mind was elsewhere.  
"I think we should all perform in our undergarments, isn't that a great idea?" Merlin said, waiting for Arthur's response.  
"Yes, that sounds great, Merlin." Arthur replied without even looking up at Merlin.

Gwen's stifled giggling was what snapped Arthur back to reality.

"We can continue this later—" Gwen started, only to be cut off by Marianne who had just entered Arthur's office.

All Arthur could do was give both Merlin and Gwen an apologetic look as his fiancé wrapped her arms around him. "We'll continue this later." He said.

"We'll be here all day, Mr. Pendragon, it's not like we have anything else to do." Merlin said sarcastically and exchanged a quick look with Marianne on his way out.

"You don't have to be so rude, Merlin, she's going to become a Pendragon in three weeks." Gwen said as they headed downstairs.

"I haven't forgotten, you don't have to remind me constantly about it." Merlin replied.

Inside Arthur's office, Marianne talked about something wedding-related that Arthur simply couldn't listen to anymore, for the past month it was all that his fiancé seemed to talk about. Zoning out again was the only way out for Arthur yet again.  
"Are you listening to me?" Marianne asked, sounding rather irritated.

"Yes, I'm sorry- I just have a headache." Arthur lied.

"Am I the reason for the headache or that boy that was just here moments ago?"

"Who? Merlin?" Arthur asked, snorting. "Just ignore him it's what I do."

"Well, you seem to be doing a pretty good job at ignoring me as well." Marianne replied, pushing herself off of Arthur's bureau.

"I'm sorry Marianne, I just can't—" He stopped in the middle of his sentence, realizing it was pointless to fight. "I'm just very busy." Arthur said, reaching out for Marianne's hand. "We can talk about this over dinner, how does that sound?"

"It sounds like you want me to leave." She replied as she pulled back from Arthur's hand and picked her purse up from the couch on her way out. "I"ll see you tonight." She pursed her lips and closed the door behind her.

On her way out of the still empty cabaret, she spotted Merlin leaning on the stage and talking to Guinevere about something.  
"Merlin?" She called him and waited for the boy to approach her.  
With raised eyebrows and obvious annoyance that Marianne decided to ignore, Merlin approached the future Mrs. Pendragon and crossed his arms.

"Merlin, I believe we got off on the wrong foot." She started.

"I am not sure what you mean, Miss Rodor."

"Come on, Merlin, I'm not a fool." Marianne replied. "I understand that you, just like most of the people, are skeptical about this marriage but—"

"I'm sorry if you got that kind of an impression, it is none of my business who Mr. Pendragon chooses to marry." Merlin defended.

"We both know that_ that _isn't true." Marianne said, smiling a little. "You care about Arthur, all those people that come to the cabaret every night—they care about him just as well. He's…inspires loyalty in others, doesn't he?"She said, and Merlin knew she was right. Arthur had some sort of power over people, not to do with his last name, or his money, but with his personality itself. Sure, he was arrogant and sometimes spoiled, but he was also kind and just and always tried to see the good in people. And that, in some way, pulled people towards him like a magnet. They wanted to be around him, in his cabaret, to meet him, to get to know him and if possible, even become his friends.

"I suppose you are right." Merlin said, not really sure what Marianne expect him to say.

"All I'm asking, is that you try to accept me." She said finally. "I would like you to give me a chance, because you are probably one of the very few people in Arthur's life that genuinely care about him - and he sees that, that's why he respects you so much." The last part made Merlin laugh, he wasn't entirely sure that Arthur _respected_ him, he treated him like he treated all his employees—if not worse. And Merlin didn't _care_ about Arthur, he just didn't want to lose the only decent job he's ever had.

"So? Will you please give me a chance?" Marianne asked, her eyes full of hope. Merlin couldn't resist her almond-shaped big, brown eyes. He nodded slightly and smiled at her.  
"Yeah, yeah, I guess I could do that." He said, and as a 'thank you' he received a kiss on the cheek− which in turn made him blush. _It was very hard to hate this woman. _

"Thank you, Merlin. I cannot wait for you to sing on our wedding." Marianne smiled and left the cabaret.

_Or maybe not__**.**__  
_

"She sure is men's weakness." Guinevere said from behind him, shaking her head and chuckling at Merlin's still red face.

"Oh shut up." Merlin said. "I was just being polite."

"Polite, yes. '_Oh of course Miss Rodor, I will give you a chance, a million chances! All the chances in the world!'" _Guinevere giggled.

"Funny, very funny." Merlin rolled his eyes. "To be honest, I am not even sure what she meant with that." Merlin said. "Why does she need _me_ to give someone like _her_ a chance, I'm no one important."

"You still don't see it, do you?"

"See what?" Merlin raised his eyebrows.

"There have been so many people in your place before—and they all betrayed him in one way or another." Guinevere said. "You are the very first person that has lasted this long and hasn't betrayed him. Arthur trusts you, I know he doesn't show it but he does, everyone sees it."

"Arthur likes to mock me, make fun of me, and likes to pushes my buttons constantly, he's just waiting for me to explode one day and leave." Merlin said halfheartedly. There was no truth in any of what Gwen was saying, there couldn't be.

"Yes, and he does all that because he knows you _won't ever _leave −no matter how much you want to punch him in the face sometimes." She replied, smiling at her best friend.

"Well, it's certainly a strange way of showing he trusts me." Merlin said.

"It's Arthur Pendragon, what do you expect?" Gwen smiled once more before she climbed up the stairs and retired to her dressing room, leaving Merlin to think about the conversation they just had.

Merlin found it hard to believe that Arthur _trusted_ him, or _cared_ about him, but something changed inside of him in that moment. He wasn't sure what, but Merlin suddenly felt like he belonged in that place and he never knew he needed someone to tell him that his boss _trusted _him in order to feel like he belonged at the cabaret, but apparently he did, and it certainly was a very good feeling.

As Morgana walked on the wet pavement on that Sunday night, she still struggled to convince herself that the decision she had made was the right one. She thought a lot about it, but in the end she knew that she had to do it.

It was late at night when Morgana entered the cabaret, she knew she would find Merlin there, either rehearsing, or writing. He had once told her that he liked to write, and with a little persistence, Morgana made Merlin show her some of the poetry he had written, and some of them made even Morgana tear up.

As she had guessed, Merlin was sitting at the bar, writing something in his notebook.

"Can't you do that at home?" Morgana teased him slightly as she approached him.

Turning around, Merlin smiled at Morgana and put down his notebook. "Trying to spend the least time there as possible." He replied. "Giving Gwen and Lancelot some space."

"I see." Morgana said and poured herself a drink that she wasn't supposed to have because of the medication she was taking. "Well, I thought I would find you here, I wanted to talk to you."

"Talk to me?" Merlin raised his brows questionably.

"I guess you've been already informed that I'm leaving?"

"Yes, Arthur mentioned that you will be going away for a little while…" He trailed off, sounding rather confused behind the reason they were having this conversation.

"Well, I came to say goodbye, I know Arthur wants to host a party here tomorrow night to properly say goodbye, but I guess I just wanted to say goodbye personally, and thank you." The last part confused Merlin most, his memory was pretty good and he couldn't remember what he could've done for Morgana in order for her to be thanking him.

"I've no idea what you're thanking me for, but you're welcome." Merlin grinned.

"For being such a good friend to me, of course." She replied. "I went through so much during these past couple of months, and you were one of the people that was always there for me." Morgana and Merlin very rarely talked about the nights when instead of rehearsing together, they would sit on the edge of the stage and they would just talk about things, simple things, complicated things, anything that their lives consisted of. Merlin would mostly listen, nod every once in a while and give her a piece of his mind every now and then, but that helped Morgana more than he could imagine. Merlin had the ability to see things from a different perspective, and that's what made him such a good person to go to when you needed someone to talk with.

"You don't have to thank me for being your friend Morgana, anyone would be honored to be in your company." Merlin finally said.  
Morgana felt her cheeks blush slightly before she focused again on what she really came for.

"Before I leave, I need to tell you something, Merlin." She said. "It's been on my mind for a while, and I cannot go on that God forsaken vacation Uther is sending me to." Merlin could notice the change in her demeanor, instead of her radiant smile that he enjoyed only seconds ago, now she was scowling.

"You can tell me anything." Was the only thing Merlin could say before letting Morgana continue.

"When I was in hospital, during one of Uther's visits he—he talked to me." She started. "I suppose he didn't know I could hear him, because what he said was something I shouldn't have heard at all." Morgana tried to be as short as possible, she didn't want to say anything that would reveal her plan.  
Merlin didn't dare to say anything, he just listened closely, allowing Morgana to continue.

"Merlin, Uther is my real father." She finally spoke, and felt like the weight has been lifted from her shoulders.  
Merlin, on the other hand was completely speechless, Morgana considered him as someone who always had something to say about every situation, but this time he was at a loss for words. "How—are you sure it's true? Does he know you know?"

"No, he doesn't know I know." Morgana replied quickly. "And I don't intend to let him know any time soon."

"Why not? Uther has practically been your father all this time—"

"Yes, he's been my father for twenty-five years, and not once he was brave enough to tell me in my face but only when he thought I was going to die!" She said, fighting to stay calm. "I must go soon, I cannot discuss this. I just had to tell you before I left."

Merlin interpreted that as a warning to stop asking questions, although he had so many.

"Anyway," Morgana continued. "before I go, you have to promise me that you are not going to tell anyone about this,. Especially not Arthur." She said.

After what seemed to Morgana as ages, Merlin finally spoke. "I promise."

"Good." She nodded. "I will see you tomorrow, Merlin." She said with a small smiled and exited the cabaret. Morgana hated the fact that she had to put Merlin in such position, to make him keep a secret like that, but it had to be done, she could move to the next stage of her plan.


End file.
